All The Right Moves
by wickedsistah1024
Summary: Kuchiki Rukia only has this one chance to prove herself worthy of Hitsugaya Toushirou's attention, and it all depends on the moves she makes. *HitsuRuki, KaiRuki*
1. Prologue: The Bet

**EDIT: 24-Jan-2011**

**Story originally finished on: 14-Apr-2008**

So I finally found the courage to read through the hideousness that is this fic, and I cringed at all the glaring spelling and grammar errors in it. Thus I decided to…edit it. If you have read it before, I assure you that the story doesn't change..._at all_. Perhaps the writing will, I'm not sure at this point yet. I have only worked on this prologue and the first chapter. I am quite busy with school at the moment so the edited version might take a while. For now I will take all the chapters down and post them again one at a time, depending on when I finish editing them. I'd like to thank all the support I have received for this fic, despite its extreme OOC-ness and overall repulsiveness.

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Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

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**All the Right Moves**

**Prologue**

_The Bet_

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IT was Kuchiki Rukia's first day as a high school sophomore and as an opening day treat, Karakura High School allowed its students to come in civilian clothes rather than the school uniform. Rukia was in front of the mirror, looking at one of the few remaining articles of clothing left inside her closet, as most of them were already scattered on her bed and across her bedroom floor. She had spent nearly two hours trying to get the perfect outfit together. Her adopted younger sister, 8-year-old Nel, thought her nee-chan was a bit deluded for thinking that her pink mini skirt and baby tee that read "As If!" could get Rukia's lifelong crush, KHS soccer star Hitsugaya Tōshirō, to notice her.

Rukia _adored_ Tōshirō. For the last two years, in her wallet sat a snapshot of him—well, the backside of his soccer jersey that read "Hitsugaya", and below it, large and red, the number 16. Rukia was 16 years old now, and was hoping that somehow, some way things _will_ happen. It was stupid logic, really, if it can even be considered one. But after two years of just stealing glances when he passed by the hallway, of daydreaming in class about the day the two of them would _finally _engage in a conversation, of collecting clippings from the school paper about the soccer team…Rukia was determined to finally _make things happen_.

Tōshirō was perfect—or close to it, if there was one. He was bright, athletic, well-built, good-looking. And the best thing about him was that he didn't even know he was all that. He walked around the school looking at people from under his eyes, and when he smiled, his lips _always_ curled up shyly on one side. He was chummy with all the guys, and no one, not even the cockiest upperclassmen on the soccer team had anything bad to say against him. He was a hit with the teachers, always being on top of all his classes, and more than half of the high school female population would do anything to catch his eye. He sounded too good to be true when Rukia had first heard of him two years ago, but she has never heard of a single bad account of him, so he was true all right.

There was just one catch: rumor had it, he didn't really go for looks. A girl must really work hard to earn his attention and be the kind of engaging person he'd want to spend hours with. Unfortunately, Rukia didn't personally know him, plus he was a junior, which meant the prospect of them interacting beyond lifted-eyebrows-in-acknowledgement was about as dim as a sealed room without windows at midnight.

But her two dearest friends in the world (who coincidentally happened to be her neighbors _and _classmates), Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo, lived by the rule _"if there's a will, there's a way."_ Although plotting to get Tōshirō's attention wasn't really her style, Rukia felt compelled to take action now, this year, or regret it for the rest of her life.

The big mission was to get Tōshirō to ask Rukia to their annual school ball. The fact that he didn't have a girlfriend and that he wasn't showing any form of romantic interest in anyone in particular at the moment made Rukia dizzy with the possibilities. Tōshirō could like her right? Have you seen all those boy-meets-girl movies? And when a guy asked a girl to the ball without prodding from anyone else and especially without the help of his parents, it meant the guy liked the girl, right? While it seemed like shooting for the stars, Rukia was given no choice but to take aim as she had been innocently and unwillingly thrust into an escapable predicament—_**a bet**_—thanks to Momo's cousin, Shiba Kaien.

Kaien was a senior and could drive, and so every Monday, he had been ordered by his freakishly scary older sister, Kūkaku, to drive Rukia, Rangiku and Momo to school. Momo was living with the Shiba's, and based on very brilliant deductive reasoning, that made them Rukia's neighbors, too.

The bet, sealed on the ride to school on their first Monday morning was this:

_"If Tōshirō asks you to the school ball, I will buy you any dress you want. That's about two months worth of allowance. If he doesn't, you have to be my slave and do anything I ask."_

True, Kaien liked to boss Rukia, Rangiku and Momo around, but he was also big-brotherly and protective, so it was really hard to stay upset with him. But Rukia could almost see it now—she would eventually (certainly, without the shadow of a doubt) lose the bet, and spend the rest of her sophomore year writing Kaien's book reports or delivering mushy cards to his flavor of the month. The guy was predatory on females, who were almost always willing anyway.

Kaien was grinning mischievously at Rukia through the car's rear view mirror, and Rukia made a face at him.

"No way," she said. "Sound like a trap to me."

"Come on," he persuaded. "Won't that give you enough drive to really work hard on getting him to ask you out? You'll not only get Tōshirō, but you'll also get your dream dress for free."

At this point, Rukia's two dearest friends decided to show their support. Rangiku and Momo piped in, "Deal!"

Since it was obviously not their names, faces, reputations, or hearts on the line, they were more than willing to enter into a deal, and this time they were doing it on Rukia's behalf. Worse, they got the raven-haired woman excited as well. _What was she to lose anyway?_

"Okay," Rukia finally said as the car made a turn and the school, with students and vehicles swarming near the entrance, came into view. Rukia's belly flipflopped—she was excited and she just couldn't wait to see who her classmates and teachers were. She couldn't wait to join the school activities, make new friends, learn new things.

_Most of all, she couldn't wait to see Tōshirō._

She scanned the area of the noisy students pressing and chatting their way into the school entrance. No sign of him yet, but there would be soon.

"Girls," Kaien called out. "Don't be late at dismissal." Then he drifted off to a group of senior boys and girls hanging out by a van, taking their time about going into the school. There were high fives and hoots as Kaien joined them.

Meanwhile, Rukia couldn't suppress her grin, and neither could Rangiku and Momo. They were all so psyched about the year that they wasted no time entering the school and walked each other to their respective classrooms.

After they dropped off Momo to her room, Rangiku told Rukia that she would walk the petite girl to hers. The hallway was busy with sophomores happy to see each other after the long vacation. As they walked, they saw Tōshirō walking by himself, looking lost and looking up at the signs on the doors. He obviously wandered off into the sophomore corridor by mistake, and now realizing this, he quickened his pace and walked past Rukia and Rangiku, who whispered to the former, _"Okay, let the games begin!"_

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Yup, no change whatsoever in the plot. Just trying to correct those mistakes I can find. I know I still missed some, and I'll probably go back and edit this thing again in the future. Forgive me for now? :D First chapter (edited) is also up!


	2. The First Real Encounter

**EDIT:** 24-Jan-2011. Removed bulky author's notes.

ATRM Stats prior to editing:

Chapters: 14

Words: 31,929

Hits: 13,204

Reviews: 190

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Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

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**All the Right Moves**

**Chapter 1**

_The First __Real__ Encounter

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_

THE first week of school was ultra-promising. Kuchiki Rukia could feel it in her bones. This year would be _her _year. And she was going to make damn sure that she would get to do everything she has always wanted to do.

Among the first big projects the school announced was a disaster relief operation in a rural community outside Karakura-chō. There, flood victims—entire families, communities—had taken shelter in the town hall (a place where big events and meetings regarding the town's state were held), and those who couldn't be accommodated inside camped at the town square, struggling for survival with what little things they had managed to salvage from their now wrecked homes. They had very little supply of food, water, clothes and medical equipment. The operation required student volunteers to help families reclaim their lives. Female student volunteers could earn credit for their work as tutors or guardians in a day care center while the parents were out building new homes; the boys on the other hand may serve as assistants to the carpenters.

It was going to be tough, so the school highly discouraged students who thought it was merely a two-week field trip. Some parents even voiced out their concerns over the safety of their children.

However, Rukia's moral principle stated that social work should start at an early age. Being a pampered princess all her life didn't actually make Rukia uncaring and numb to the pain of others contrary to what most people expected her to be (they all imagined her to take after her father, Kuchiki Byakuya, a walking block of ice). Rukia was quite the opposite. Being exposed to a lot of different people from all walks of life at an early age made Rukia the compassionate person she was right now. She had seen a lot of Byakuya's fired workers plead for him to take them back or give them second chances, since their job was their only source of income and their families depended on it. Little Rukia always watched with tear-filled eyes how her daddy dismissed them without hesitation, as if he didn't hear their pleas at all. She had secretly vowed to herself to make it a personal task to help the needy as best as she could. And this relief operation was like a mission for her.

In any case, while the risk seemed high, the disaster relief program was _strictly_ optional.

Other than the outreach program, Karakura High School also announced an opening in their highly-regarded Drama Club. Rangiku, Momo and Rukia originally agreed on joining it prior to the start of the school year since, according to Rangiku, the Drama Club was the perfect place to go butt-watching, err, guy-hunting because most of the members of the Drama Club were undeniably _HOT_. Of course, this fact did not interest Rukia at all. If she was to join an organization just for the sake of its HOT members, she should have been a member of the soccer team by now (not that it was possible, though).

The urge to help was really pushing Rukia to sign up for the relief program, but the voices of her friends at the back of her mind made her hesitate.

* * *

**a. **_Should I sign up for the disaster relief program to help the extremely needy, even if it means not seeing my friends and even Tōshirō for two weeks?_

_or_

**b. **_Should I join Rangiku and Momo at the Drama Club even if it means my conscience would bother me for eternity and I would fail to keep the promise I made to myself?

* * *

_

The line for the disaster relief program was long. and the program leader, Shihōin Yoruichi, looked like a battalion commander at the height of her PMS. She barked orders for everyone to form a straighter line, to stand upright, and to not treat the program as a camping trip. A group of several people from the line, who had been creating a lot of noise to escape the boredom, stopped giggling, clammed up, and then wiggled away. Even Abarai Renji, Rukia's pesky seatmate who also lined up for the relief program, seemed to be having second thoughts even if this advocacy thing would be good for his image.

Renji, although only a sophomore like Rukia, was already a member of the soccer team and a star goalie at that. The problem was, the guy was so image-conscious, and usually did things (like this relief program for instance) for the benefit it would surely bring to his reputation. He was a nice guy all in all. There had been gossips though, slowly spreading in their section, that Renji had the hots for Rukia. Rukia, on the other hand, had not even the slightest interest in Renji.

Renji hesitated at first, and then wondered aloud if he should still go. It seems that even for the image-conscious Renji, the scary Yoruichi-sensei wasn't worth all the credits a good cause would rack up for him. He turned to his side then poked Rukia on the shoulder.

"Hey, I have a brilliant idea. Why don't we just join the Drama Club instead?"

Yeah, genius. As if Rukia hadn't thought of that.

Rukia obviously didn't want to talk to the guy so the nasty rumors about them would stop. Heck, it was bad enough as it was—the two of them _together_, side-by-side, lining up for the disaster relief program, and did she mention, _**together**_? It was merely coincidental of course, or at least on Rukia's side.

The petite girl blatantly ignored Renji, and if asked if she was listening, she would blame it on the noisy crowd—which actually wasn't noisy anymore. Seriously, couldn't the guy just take a hint?

"Come on. It's going to be more fun there. Plus, almost everyone else is there!"

Renji started tugging on Rukia's bag to make sure he got her attention. Rukia frowned slightly and sighed. She turned her head to face Renji.

"I'm not here for fun, you know. I'm here to help. If you really want to join the Drama Club, I'm not stopping you. Just...please. Leave me be."

Rukia felt a little guilty at how she dealt with the guy. But Renji didn't seem to take offense to it. He just shrugged and smiled, and said in a low and probably his version of a seductive manner, "Okay. But if you change your mind, just go there. I'll be waiting for you."

Rukia rolled her eyes and silently prayed to Kami-sama that no one heard what he said. Nothing was really wrong with the guy, minus his being extremely flirty with her, but Rukia just didn't want the rumors to create more damage than it already did. When the whole school hears about it, she was almost sure that Renji would come asking her to "at least pretend" that something _was_ "going on" between them. Saying "no" would make Rukia guilty since a girl dumping _the _Abarai Renjiwould definitely ruin his hard-earned reputation. It seemed suspicious that Renji looked as if he'd like things to head that way...that the whole school should hear the rumor. Rukia shuddered at her own train of thoughts. She was losing it.

At the end of the line, those who were left were handed an attendance sheet. It wasn't late for Rukia to back out yet—not until she had boarded the bus in a month. The first thing that the students had to do was to attend some briefing and undergo childcare training. Plus, they would also need to shell out for their own living expenses for the entire two weeks that they were "out there". And the biggest "IF" in all of this was IF Rukia would be allowed by her parents to go since they were always worried about her safety (or at least Hisana—her mom—was, Rukia thought), and the outreach program wasn't going to be held in a theme park.

But Rukia's mind was already made up. She had always wanted to work for a worthwhile cause.

* * *

It seemed as though Rukia had taken quite a huge responsibility very early on in the school year. Rangiku and Momo wouldn't even be there with her when she camped at the evacuation site. This time, she was truly, honestly going solo—sharing communal tents with strangers she barely acknowledged in the hallways of their school.

Still, she wanted to do it, so on Monday afternoon after dismissal, she attended the first general assembly.

The auditorium was packed with familiar yet strange faces, and Rukia started to wonder if the promised fulfilment she'd be getting was worth all the adjustment she had to go through.

Across the hall, Rangiku and Momo were waiting for Rukia to finish up. They'd both enlisted at Drama Club and still wanted her to join in.

Rukia, though, already felt committed to the outreach program. She made a mental note to make it up to Rangiku and Momo for not joining the Drama Club with them.

And so the first general assembly began. According to the briefing, the living conditions at the outreach program would be nowhere near five-star. The whole kit, all 15 pages of warnings and words of caution, dripped with sarcasm that it sounded determined to enlist two people only. It had drill sergeant, err Yoruichi-sensei's fingerprints all over it, and true enough, at the beginning of the session, she bragged about having authored the kit.

Rukia never suspected that many people her age (give or take a year or two) had the conscience and initiative to go where help was needed. As the session progressed, with Yoruichi-sensei barking descriptions of mosquito-infested stagnant waters that the students would sometimes have to use to flush the toilet at the volunteer camp, the number of volunteers began to dwindle. With about 50 students left, Yoruichi-sensei continued to shoo away half the crowd by bringing up the cost. They would need a rather large sum for food, bottled water, vitamins, and bus rides for the entire two-week stay after which, volunteers from another school would take over.

Towards the end of the session, a grim and determined 32 were left sitting in the auditorium, Rukia being one of them. Yoruichi-sensei looked smug and pleased with her work and began passing around waiver forms. They were soon dismissed afterwards.

Not being one for crowds, Rukia decided to let everyone else out before making her way to the exit. She was eagerly reading the waiver form, excited to sign it already. So she looked for her pen in her pocket...then inside her bag...and when she was almost a foot away from the door, she turned around and walked back inside the auditorium in hopes of finding her missing pen.

She went back to where she sat during the briefing and leaned forward slightly. She was reaching for her pen, which was on the floor, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, uhm, what did I miss? I had practice, sorry..."

Rukia turned around at the sound of the voice and came face to face with someone who had white hair and stunning emerald orbs. Oh...Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Wait a minute—the Hitsugaya Tōshirō?

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Next chapter will be posted after I finish editing it. Thank you for reading…or re-reading! :D


	3. Unsure

**EDIT:** 22-Apr-2011. Removed bulky author's notes.

I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter. I'd like to especially dedicate it to **AnimeFanx3 **for actually reminding me that I haven't finished editing this thing yet! Yes, I actually forgot about it, forgive me. Anyhoo, here's the -hopefully- better version of ATRM Chap 2. Excessive OOC-ness is very much obvious, so forgive me. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

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**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 2**

_Unsure_

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_Previously..._

_She went back to where she sat during the briefing and leaned forward slightly. She was reaching for her pen, which was on the floor, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.  
_

_"Excuse me, uhm, what did I miss? I had practice, sorry..." _

_Rukia turned around at the sound of the voice and came face to face with someone who had white hair and stunning emerald orbs. Oh...Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Wait a minute—the Hitsugaya Tōshirō? _

* * *

RUKIA was too shocked by this once in a lifetime chance that she stood frozen on the spot.

"Uhm, I'm sorry. Are...are you alright?" Tōshirō sheepishly asked.

Rukia was as still as a statue as she continued to lean awkwardly over the back of the chair she sat in during the briefing, only this time, her head was turned facing Tōshirō.

Having met with no response, Tōshirō curiously leaned forward slightly to see what the raven-haired girl was trying to reach.

"Oh, let me help you." Being the gentleman that he was, Tōshirō walked towards the object of her interest and picked it up.

And that was when Rukia _finally got a hold of herself (more like she finally convinced herself that this was __not_ a dream) and stood straight, her cheeks slightly reddening at the thought of how she must've looked like a few moment earlier.

"Oh, th-thank you." Rukia's blush deepened at the slight brushing of their fingertips when Tōshirō handed her pen back.

"So...uhm, what was discussed during the assembly? I couldn't get out of practice. I'm sorry." The white-haired soccer player adjusted the gym bag on his shoulder as he waited for a response.

'Why is he apologizing? It's not as if it's a grave sin to not come to the assembly. Oh, he is such a responsible guy,' Rukia thought.

"Well, Yoruichi-sensei, uhm, discussed the, uhm, t-the condition of the…volunteer camp and the, uhm, tasks that we would be doing when we, uhm, arrive there."

'Great job, Rukia. You just won yourself an award! The award for the most number of "uhm's" in a sentence!' Rukia mentally berated herself.

Meanwhile, Rangiku and Momo were silently giggling by the door, clearly enjoying the plight of their petite friend. They had been waiting for Rukia to come out after the assembly as soon as they saw the other students exiting the auditorium. When the raven-haired girl made no appearance five minutes later, the two girls decided to take a peek and see what was taking her so long. And that was when they witnessed this life-changing event. They were both thinking of the same thing—_"It's her chance!"_

"Hey, girls!"

Rangiku and Momo momentarily stopped giggling and faced the direction of the voice. It was Kaien, and he clearly looked aggravated. Oh right. He probably had been waiting for the girls by the parking lot for at least half an hour now. It was a Monday, and he needed to drive the girls to and from school if he wanted the car. Great scheme, Kūkaku!

"What are you doing here just standing and giggling randomly? And where's Rukia?" The senior asked, rubbing the back of his head in frustration.

"Ssh! Kaien, be quiet. You might interrupt this very special moment," Rangiku said excitedly.

"Interrupt what? Okay, if you guys are finished here, let's go look for that little girl so we can all go home. I'm in a freakin' hurry!"

Momo looked back inside the auditorium at Tōshirō and Rukia; the petite girl seemed to be in the middle of explaining something. "Just...just a little longer, Kai," Momo's plea came in a hushed whisper.

"No way! What are you doing here standing outside the audi, anyway? Are you guys peeking in on someone in there?" Kaien walked towards the door to take a look. Rangiku and Momo both tried to stop him, but he waved their arms off. He peeked in and saw Rukia and Tōshirō talking with each other. And this annoyed him more somehow.

"_This is what's taking you so long?" Kaien hissed through gritted teeth._

"Please Kaien, just shut up," the buxom strawberry blonde quipped.

"No freakin' way. Oi, Rukia!"

Said raven-haired girl looked at the door at the sound of her name and saw Kaien standing there, seething. She briefly wondered what could have aggravated him so much when she caught sight of Momo and Rangiku beside him and realized they must've been waiting for her.

"Let's go, I'm in a hurry!"

Rukia looked back at Tōshirō and contemplated for a moment what she should do.

* * *

**a.**_Should I try to explain the past two hours to him in a few breathless seconds and give him my number so he could call me?_

_or_

**b.**_Should I just tell Kaien to leave me and take this chance to speak with Tōshirō?_

* * *

"Well, uhm… Hey, here," Rukia handed Tōshirō the outreach program kit, quickly wrote something on the upper right-hand corner of the front page and said, "Call me, I'll explain some more. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Oh, no. It's perfectly fine." Tōshirō took hold of the kit and re-adjusted the strap of his gym bag. "Thanks, Rukia."

Rukia was momentarily stunned hearing her name—her _given name—come out of Tōshirō's lips. She couldn't help the smile slowly gracing her face as she stared at him, slightly smiling back at her. She could practically hear the chorus of angels behind them as they rejoiced with her for this very joyous occasion._

Kaien, on the other hand, was nearing the limit of his patience. He scowled and called out, "Rukia!"

Rukia broke out of the trance she was in and swung her head towards Kaien's direction. "Coming!" She gave a mental sigh, mourning the loss of the magical moment. "Uhm, see you, uhm...T-Tōshirō." It was a good thing Rukia was already making her way towards the door, her back facing Tōshirō, because she was blushing madly at her courageous attempt to call him by name.

In the car on the way home, Rangiku and Momo couldn't stop their giggling as they hounded Rukia for a play-by-play recount of fateful meeting. They were so happy for Rukia—finally, the petite raven-haired girl just had her first official conversation with _the Hitsugaya Tōshirō. The girls were still talking about it when suddenly, Rangiku turned to Kaien._

"You are so unfair, Kai. You cheated!" The strawberry blonde huffed as she crossed her arms over her gifted chest.

"I did? How so?" The driver of the car asked in a nonchalant manner.

"You were so adamant in ruining Rukia and Tōshirō's moment. I'm guessing you're afraid to lose the bet, ne?" Rangiku teased.

"Of course not! And it's not as if that kid would ask Rukia to go to the ball with him on their first meeting," Kaien scoffed, keeping his eyes on the road.

Oh yeah. _The bet. Rukia almost forgot about it. Well it wasn't as if it was on top her priorities list. And it wasn't as if __that was the only reason she wanted to get to know Tōshirō better. Her mind drifted back to the rather bold move she made. She just gave him __her number—she __told__ him__ to call._And now, all she could do was wait.

* * *

Rukia wasn't sure if he was going to _actually call._

DAY 1: No call. Rukia was constantly on the edge of her seat, diving for the phone every single time it rang, and her Dad was starting to notice his daughter's strange behavior. However, he was surprisingly in a good mood that day that he didn't even comment on it. Moreover, strict and scary Kuchiki Byakuya _allowed Rukia to join the outreach program when she simply asked. That was why she said nothing when her dad ordered her to go to bed and sleep._

DAY 2: Still no call. Rukia was very, _very distracted—from finishing her homework, to doing her assigned house chores, to getting a drink after dinner. Nel, her cuddly and exuberant adopted sister, could sense that something was bothering her nee-chan and volunteered to get Rukia her drink after the raven-haired girl accidentally dropped her glass, which shattered to hundreds of pieces on the floor, when the phone suddenly rang._

DAY 3: It was 10 pm when Nel entered Rukia's room and found the petite girl still wide awake, staring at the ceiling with her arms behind her head, so Nel decided to stay with her nee-chan until the older girl fell asleep. Half an hour later, a snoring Nel was lying beside a still pondering Rukia. A knock on the door was heard amidst the silence of the room; Byakuya and Hisana entered Rukia's room to take the slumbering Nel.

"Rukia sweetie, why are you still awake?" Hisana asked while gently lifting Nel off Rukia's bed.

"Just thinking, mom," the raven-haired girl replied absentmindedly.

"Go brush your teeth now and then sleep. Do the thinking some other time, you have school tomorrow."

Rukia reluctantly nodded and went to the bathroom. A loud ringing disrupted the silence within the Kuchiki home as the three awake occupant of the house tried to discern where the ringing came from.

_It was the phone._

Rukia's ears stood at attention as she stopped brushing her teeth midway. Her dad—why couldn't it have been mom? —picked up the phone as Rukia held her breath and stared at her own reflection in the mirror above the sink, silently praying that it wasn't who she thought it was. Her prayers were unanswered as she heard her father curtly tell the caller to call the next day before 9 in the evening, and that she—oh goodness it was for _her—was already asleep._

Her parents, or her dad for that matter, hated it when people call past the _"decent hour" of 9, and Rukia continued to silently pray—beg—that it was either Rangiku or Momo. Or anyone else, Kamisama, anyone else but Tōshirō!_

At breakfast the next day, her father who was sitting at the head of the table reading a newspaper greeted her with, "A boy called last night at such an unholy hour. Is this boy a suitor?" He didn't seem pleased.

Uh-oh.

"What's his name?" Rukia asked with her best poker face. She was trying very hard to conceal her nervousness not only in facing her dad, but in facing her rather pissed off dad.

"I don't remember," he answered. "You tell those boys not to make me scold them." His voice was hard.

"But what if they're just friends?" Rukia said in frustration, pouting her lips. She wasn't really used to talking back to her parents, but she thought her father could be so unreasonable sometimes, like this for instance. She put her fork down and stopped eating.

Byakuya glanced sharply at his daughter. "I don't like that tone. Finish your food."

In her head, Rukia was screaming, 'Unfair! Unfair!' and she was on the verge of tears. The frustration of the past few days had finally cracked her. She wanted to argue it out but she knew that there was nothing she could do. So instead, she didn't say anything.

"Okay, that's it," Byakuya declared as he stood up. "You're grounded. And you're not going to that outreach program either."

Rukia froze, and then turned to her mom for help. Hisana looked at her and sadly shook her head. Rukia knew then and there that she had hit a dead end. Byakuya, as Hisana explained in earnest to Rukia and Nel the day before, was stressed over the casualties the company was suddenly facing. Naturally, the slightest things get him all worked up. Now, all Rukia could do was hope that he would change his mind and allow her to go to the outreach, which was barely 3 weeks away.

* * *

At school, as Rukia ambled along by herself towards her Home Economics class, still glum over having been grounded, she was wondering if maybe, she was really not meant to spend time with Tōshirō. All she wanted to do was join the outreach, and now that she found out that Tōshirō was also in it, obstacles seemed to be piling up in the way. Was it a terrible joke from heaven that one day, Tōshirō seemed to be within chatting reach, then out of range indefinitely the next?

"Hey," someone called out in the hall, breaking Rukia's thoughts. "I tried calling you." Rukia turned around, and there stood Tōshirō.

"Your dad sounds really strict. Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Again, Rukia just stood there, frozen. Not merely because of Tōshirō's presence, but because her brain was working overdrive trying to process what he just said—he was looking all over _for her?_

"Are you still going to the outreach, Rukia?"

Rukia didn't know what to say. Obviously, he was still going and she should be, too! Was it a sign from heaven? Did this mean she was soooo back in the game?

* * *

Next chapter will be out tomorrow. Probably two chapters, if I can edit them quickly. Thanks for reading! Have a good day!


	4. The Things I Do For You

**EDIT:** 23-Apr-2011. Fixed grammar and spelling errors.

Quick update for those who're waiting for it. =) Special thanks to **Denidene** for spotting the spelling error I had for the previous chapter. Warnings for extreme OOC-ness, fast pace, and teenage stubbornness. =)

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 3**

_The Things I do for you_

* * *

_Previously..._

_"Hey," someone called out in the hall, breaking Rukia's thoughts. "I tried calling you." Rukia turned around, and there stood Tōshirō._

_"Your dad sounds really strict. Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."_

_Again, Rukia just stood there, frozen. Not merely because of Tōshirō's presence, but because her brain was working overdrive trying to process what he just said—he was looking all over for her?_

_"Are you still going to the outreach, Rukia?"_

_Rukia didn't know what to say. Obviously, he was still going and she should be, too! Was it a sign from heaven? Did this mean she was soooo back in the game? _

* * *

TŌSHIRŌ smiled his signature knee-jellifying smile, where his lips slowly, almost lazily, curl up one side. Rukia didn't know what to say, and her mind went completely blank. It was such a wonder how Hitsugaya Tōshirō's smile could easily render anyone instantly powerless.

There was silence for a few short moments, then suddenly Tōshirō _touched Rukia's arm looking really concerned, and asked, "Hey, are you feeling okay?"_

Rukia blinked as if the touch, that magical touch, just brought her back to her senses, which it most probably did. "Y-Yes, why?"

"You seem a little…pale." Tōshirō's voice made Rukia want to just keel over and faint on the spot. She was sooo not prepared for this.

Rukia didn't think she was actually ill just because Tōshirō decided to chat her up in the hallway—not, that would be ridiculous—but she suspected that her increasingly growing confusion over what to say made her face look ashen. She had just been grounded and banned from being a part of the outreach program, for crying out loud! What now? Just pray to Kamisama that somehow her dad, with Kamisama's Divine intervention, would somehow change his mind and allow her to go?

Rukia took a deep breath as she composed her thoughts. She mentally cursed herself for the next words that were about to come out of her mouth. "I-I'm actually not yet sure if I would go..." she trailed off.

Tōshirō looked genuinely surprised at this statement.

_Sigh. Rukia felt a dull pain in her chest as she delivered the rest. "I-It's just that...I might be busy with school by then."_

She wasn't sure of it, but Tōshirō looked…_disappointed. Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her?_

"Oh, that's too bad," Tōshirō answered after a short pause. "The outreach sounds like it's going to be really worthwhile, you know?"

It appeared as though Rukia was the only one he knew who was going—and barely at that—as none of his friends would be joining the outreach. It could be her big chance to bond with him, and she was sooo tempted to just commit on going with or without her father's consent.

* * *

**a. **_Should I just say I'll go and face the consequences when they come?_

or

**b. **_Should I just say I really need to focus on school work, which is a lie since I'm doing quite well in all my classes?_

* * *

A few seconds of thought before Rukia finally said, "Y-You know what, I...I'm going for sure."

There. She'd said it. She let go of the air she was unconsciously holding in her lungs, a little relieved that she had gotten through to saying it, but a little worried about how she could make it happen.

Tōshirō instantly brightened. "Wow, that's great! I'm really excited!"

At this point, Rukia was honestly kind of exhausted from her inner ramblings, so in a weak effort to keep the conversation alive, all she managed ask was, "Are your friends going?"

She had just rolled the dice, and now she was riding on a slim possibility that she would even be _allowed to go. If she didn't show up at the outreach, what would Tōshirō think of her then?_

"Nah," he replied, the bright look still on his face. She couldn't help but feel slightly better—and proud, the girly-girl part of her insisted—at being the reason for this look. "They're all on the soccer team, and practice would be heavy around that time."

Rukia was slightly confused at that. "And what about you? Won't you be practicing?" Even though her mind was registering the details of the conversation, she couldn't help but feel giddy that were actually having a casual chat in the hallway. Where was Rangiku? Where was Momo? Rukia silently prayed that the class bell wouldn't ring just yet.

"Coach allowed me two weeks off because I really insisted," he answered with a sigh. "But that means I can't miss practice before then. Plus, the championship is almost right after that, so I guess I'll hardly be seeing anyone before the outreach."

Rukia froze for a moment before alarms started ringing inside her head and she panicked. The outreach was still about three weeks away. "W-what does that mean?"

"I'll be studying, practicing." He sighed again, sounding tired, but there was no hint of complaint in his tone. "But you know, I'm sure this outreach is gonna be worth it." Hitsugaya Tōshirō—soccer star and heartthrob—smiled at her for the _second time that day. "It's good to know you're going, too. I hardly know anyone there."_

Rukia felt her face grow hot. Was she blushing? Oh no! He'd notice! Rukia frantically started taking deep breaths to cool her face a bit, slightly fanning her face. Tōshirō must've noticed the odd reaction because he suddenly placed his hand and felt her forehead.

"You really okay? You know, I can walk you to the clinic if—"

And the class bell chose that very moment to ring. Rukia still had a loooong way to walk to get to her Home Economics class, so as she prepared to bolt, she hurriedly said, "Sorry, I have to go!" and started rushing off.

Tōshirō surprisingly called out to her, "See you at the outreach!"

The words rang in her ears. No freakin' way was Kuchiki Rukia going to back out now.

* * *

It was a week and a few days later when Rukia told her best friends about her conversation with Tōshirō in the hallway. Rangiku and Momo couldn't get over the fact that their raven-haired friend actually talked to Tōshirō for more than five minutes, and in Kaien's car going home, the two girls went over all the details of what they coined _"the hallway exchange" to search for clues that the white-haired soccer star might actually like Rukia._

"I can feel that he actually likes you," Rangiku declared, flipping her strawberry blonde hair. "He even smiled at you—twice!"

Momo giggled, "Yeah, but we still need hard evidence!"

"He says he's excited to go when he found out Rukia's going, too, right? I think that's proof enough!" Rangiku tried to convince them, placing a finger on her chin.

"Well, if he doesn't like you _yet, you have two weeks with him at the outreach to make him like you," Momo quipped from the front seat._

Kaien butted in, glancing at the car's rear view mirror to look at his raven-haired passenger. "Like enough for him to ask you to the ball. Don't you guys dare forget the bet."

"You're such a party-pooper, Kai." Rangiku made a face at him as she huffed. Then facing Rukia, she said in encouragement, "Don't let Kaien pressure you. Just relax. Be yourself. Seize the day and all that."

But Rukia couldn't relax because true enough, she hadn't seen the shadow of Tōshirō after _"the hallway exchange". She knew he would most probably just be in the soccer field or in some study group, but she hadn't seen any sign of him at all. The outreach was now just a little over a week away, and Rukia still hadn't brought it up again with her dad, who lately seemed more ultra-preoccupied with work._

"Hey," Momo softly called out. "I hope when you come back from the outreach, he likes you already."

Rukia only managed to smile weakly as the same question still burned in her mind. _What if she couldn't make it to the outreach?_

* * *

Finally, the day of the outreach came, and Rukia nervously clutched her waiver form with her dad's _forged _signature as she looked at the long line of the participants for the outreach. She didn't dare bring the issue up the night before for fear that it might re-ignite her dad's anger and frustration. Although her father seemed a little more pleasant the past few days, there were still moments when Rukia sensed his mood was not suitable for discussing her going away for two weeks. Rukia knew what her overprotective father was going to say: _It won't be safe, You might contract something and get sick, There will be too many boys and hardly any guardians... _and he'd go on and on until Rukia was too worn out to protest.

And so she forged his signature. So she made a little crime. So what? It was all for a chance to do something good—and of course, a chance to hang out with Tōshirō, whom she now finally saw after several weeks, submitting his form.

Rukia slowly looked down at her own waiver form. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't commit a crime. She couldn't deal with the guilt of it. And how would she even explain being gone for two weeks? Her father would go berserk! For all she knew, in a few days there'd be a search party for her! It was all so silly that she thought of making a last ditch effort to get his permission.

So on a nearby phone booth, she called her dad up. This was it—judgement day.

As soon as Rukia heard her dad's voice on the other end of the line, she started pleading desperately like a madwoman. Apologizing to her father was very, _very hard, but she really meant it._

"Dad, _please. I'm really, really sorry for my rude behavior. I just...I just want to do something noble. Something you'd be proud of me for."_

It was a little desperate, the way she pleaded with him, and it bordered on sounding corny. Rukia felt as though she was making a speech trying to make the Congress see how going to outreach programs should be a part of the curriculum for sophomores like her.

But the hard work paid off, thank Kamisama! Luckily, the scary Kuchiki Byakuya didn't try to be difficult once Rukia said, "Dad, I...I just think this would make me a better person." That was perhaps the cheesiest line Rukia had ever said in her entire life, but it was her trump card, and if her dad still didn't allow her to go, she had absolutely no idea what to do next. It was just really her lucky day that her dad finally said yes.

Byakuya sighed at the other end and readily said Rukia could go, and reminded her that as a young lady growing up, she needed to listen to her parents and respect them. Not as difficult as she thought he would be. Rukia had her dad speak on the phone to Yoruichi-sensei to tell her that Rukia had his blessings and created a lame excuse as to why she didn't have her waiver from with her. Rukia truly loved her father soooo much.

Whew! Talk about close calls!

By the time the whole permission thing was over and done with, Tōshirō had already boarded Bus A. It was already full, and Rukia had to be contented in riding Bus B where most of the people were noisy seniors.

For the whole duration of the trip, Rukia was asleep.

* * *

Upon reaching the evacuation site, everyone was astonished at the current state of the area. The place was dingy; families were trying to fit themselves in such a small space, using blankets as makeshift walls for some semblance of division; there was no electricity and mothers cooked over fire-pits dug into the ground, and their food came from whatever resources were available within the area, which wasn't much to begin with. The students were wondering how the families were able to survive the poor living conditions. It was going to be a long two-week stay for them, that was for sure.

Yoruichi-sensei immediately started instructing everyone about what they needed to do first. Of course, they were to bunk in tents—girls separate from the boys—so they needed to set those up first. She informed everyone that they would need to fetch for their own water for bathing at a makeshift bath, store their own drinking water and clean the area of their tents—on top of babysitting little children and making sure they eat three times a day while the parents were away, and serving as carpenters to build new homes.

Rukia saw how hard life could be and she momentarily forgot about her own world: the comforts of her home, schoolwork, Rangiku, Momo and Kaien, even Tōshirō who was just out there somewhere doing what he was told to.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Next update's tomorrow or the day after that. Have a good day!


	5. The Outreach

**EDIT: **18-May-2011. Fixed grammar and spelling errors. Removed bulky A/N and annoying author comments.

Seriously, I keep forgetting I haven't finished editing this story yet. It's been almost a month! Thanks for reminding me I need to update, **Rukia Kuchiki215**. :D

Warnings for extreme OOC-ness, fast pace, and a cliffie. =)

Not much into details in this one-just gonna breeze through the outreach.

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 4**

_The Outreach_

* * *

_Previously…_

_Upon reaching the evacuation site, everyone was astonished at the current state of the area. The place was dingy; families were trying to fit themselves in such a small space, using blankets as makeshift walls for some semblance of division; there was no electricity and mothers cooked over fire-pits dug into the ground, and their food came from whatever resources were available within the area, which wasn't much to begin with. The students were wondering how the families were able to survive the poor living conditions. It was going to be a long two-week stay for them, that was for sure._

_Yoruichi-sensei immediately started instructing everyone about what they needed to do first. Of course, they were to bunk in tents—girls separate from the boys—so they needed to set those up first. She informed everyone that they would need to fetch for their own water for bathing at a makeshift bath, store their own drinking water and clean the area of their tents—on top of babysitting little children and making sure they eat three times a day while the parents were away, and serving as carpenters to build new homes._

_Rukia saw how hard life could be and she momentarily forgot about her own world: the comforts of her home, schoolwork, Rangiku, Momo and Kaien, even Tōshirō who was just out there somewhere doing what he was told to._

* * *

DAY 1:

Seeing that there were exactly 16 girls and 16 boys who joined the outreach program, Yoruichi-sensei decided to pair the students up to make her task of looking after them less tedious.

The moment that the pair-up was announced, Rukia's eyes excitedly darted across the volunteer camp's vast area in hopes of finding a certain white-haired lad for a chance to ask him to become her..._partner_. It wasn't because he was _the_ Hitsugaya Tōshirō (though Rukia wouldn't be a hypocrite and not admit that it was a plus) but because he was actually the only person Rukia was at least remotely familiar with in the camp. And even though she could not control the incessant blushing whenever the soccer star was around, she still felt a tad bit more comfortable with him than with complete strangers.

After a few anxious seconds of searching, she finally spotted him beside his tent, having just finished setting it up. She was about to approach the soccer player when she saw another figure closing in on her target. It was this popular junior girl, Makoto Yumi, who everyone knew had the hots for Tōshirō. Of course, everyone could easily guess what she wanted to talk to Tōshirō about—she'd ask him to become her partner, no doubt. With her silky, shoulder length blonde hair, buxom physique, and bubbly, somewhat loud personality, it would be hard to say no—not that Rukia was actually expecting Tōshirō to say no. The petite woman turned around with a resigned sigh, hoping to somehow find a willing partner, although she was obviously less enthusiastic this time. Almost everyone had been paired up already, and Rukia settled with whoever was going to be _the __outcast._ There were still a couple of males looking lost and searching the crowd for a partner, and Rukia was mentally debating which she'd like more. Or dislike less, depending on how one looked at it. When the commotion eventually died down, someone lightly tapped Rukia on the shoulder from behind.

'Here goes everything.' Rukia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around. Two weeks. Two freakin' weeks. It would be two whole weeks she'd have to spend with...

Tōshirō smiled as his eyes came in contact with Rukia's. The raven-haired girl blinked, taken aback.

"Y-Yes?" she managed to ask.

"Uhm, well, I was wondering if you already have a partner. And if you still don't have one...could you be mine?"

Rukia gaped at him. His words played inside her head over and over again. _Could you be mine?_ Oh what joy it would be if only he meant it some other way!

"Rukia?" Tōshirō's concerned voice rang in her ears, breaking her daydream.

"A-aa?" Rukia dumbly asked.

"I was asking if you'd like to be my partner. Uhm, that's if you still don't have one. If you do, that's cool." He stood there, waiting for a response.

Wait a minute. Rukia was so damn sure that Yumi would ask Tōshirō. Shewouldnot—_never!_—waste a chance like _that_! So did him asking her mean...?

'Nah, in your dreams, Rukia,' she thought bitterly. "Uh, y-yeah. Sure."

"That's great. Let's go get the name of the family we'll be helping."

Yoruichi-sensei asked, more like commanded, everyone to form a straight line and get the names of the families they would be assigned to help and get to know for the next two weeks.

"Okay, Hitsugaya and Kuchiki...here. Zaraki family." Yoruichi-sensei grinned rather mischievously at the pair, but the two teens decided to just ignore it, waving it off as the teacher's usual weirdness, and started looking for their assigned family.

The family was small—it only consisted of the father, Kenpachi, the mother, Retsu, and the daughter, Yachiru. A few minutes into the introduction, Rukia could safely say that the couple was a match made in heaven; they simply cancelled each other out—Retsu's gentle nature and kindness compensated for Kenpachi's brash and somewhat rude attitude.

As it was the first day of the outreach, the students were only asked to look after the children all day while the parents were away doing some constructing somewhere. Tōshirō and Rukia bade the couple farewell, while their hyperactive pink-haired daughter started bouncing up and down.

"So...Shorty-chan, Whitey-chan, what do we do today? Huh? Huh? Kenpachi said I can play anything with you."

"Sh-short? Oh, yes, yes. Yachiru-chan, I'm Rukia-nee. This is your Tōshirō-nii. Please call us by our names."

Yachiru seemed to contemplate about this for a minute, pouting her lips cutely. "Nah, Shorty-chan. It sounds better." The little girl grinned widely. "What do you say, Whitey-chan?"

Rukia slowly looked at Tōshirō, eager to see what his reaction would be at being called _Whitey-chan_ by the little kid.

Tōshirō simply smiled. And what made Rukia's heart do somersaults was its genuine nature. He put his hand on Yachiru's head and ruffled the little girl's pink tresses. "I say we go and play now, Pinky-chan."

Woah, hold up. Tōshirō just...gave the little kid pet name, didn't he? Now things were starting to get interesting.

Rukia broke out of her thoughts when a tiny hand grabbed hers and dragged her with surprising force to who knows where. Oh it was going to be a long day...

* * *

After finally submitting to them, Yachiru was finally on her makeshift bed, taking an afternoon nap. Both Rukia and Tōshirō were exhausted—heck, they could be mistaken as lazy bums in comparison to the ever-energetic pink-haired girl. This was why the two found themselves resting gratefully, sitting by a nearby creek simply enjoying nature's beauty, side by side...alone. Another woah, hold up. Rukia discreetly looked around. Yep. _ALONE._ The heavens were sooo on her side today. Rukia desperately searched her head for something—anything—they could talk about.

Well, Tōshirō beat her to it.

"That was tiresome...but it was fun." Tōshirō looked at her and smiled.

"Y-yeah. Yachiru is one restless kid," Rukia replied, smiling back.

"Right. But the whole experience was really enjoyable. I don't think it would have been the same if I were with a stranger," he said, leaning back on his hands behind him.

Okaaay. Wasn't that as good as saying _I'm happy you were my partner_? If so, Rukia surely felt the same and wanted to say 'Yeah, me, too.' So she did—

"Yeah, me—"

—and got cut off by her ringing phone.

'What impeccable timing.' Rukia thought while taking her phone out. She glanced at the screen of her phone to check who the caller was. She blinked dumbly at the name on the display. Why was _he _calling?

"Excuse me for a while." Rukia grudgingly stood up and walked away a little before answering the call. "Yes, Kaien?"

A loud voice was heard on the other end of the line. "Wow, you're _actually_ still alive? I didn't think you could even last half a day! Congratulations!"

"Well, sorry Kai. I will last for the entire two weeks." Sure, with Tōshirō around? Might as well make it two months! "So, why'd you call?"

Kaien chuckled. "Heh, just decided to know what's going on with my little girl."

Ooh, was big brother Kaien worried? Or maybe the girls bugged him to call her...

"Well I'm okay here," she replied. "You with Ran and Momo?"

"Nope." Rukia heard some shuffling noises and deduced that Kaien must have rolled over on his bed. "And no, little girl. If you're thinking they forced me to call you, you're wrong. I was wor...wondering if you're doing fine. Well, now I know that you're enjoying yourself there in the wilderness doing social work. So...bye."

And Kaien hung up, just like that. Rukia looked at her phone to check if she didn't just lose coverage and saw that she had strong signal. She shrugged and turned to go back to her previous spot. Now, to try and save the _moment,_ which Kaien unfortunately interrupted.

When Rukia came back though, Tōshirō was nowhere in sight.

'Great, the _moment_'s gone.' Rukia sighed heavily and dropped her head, making her way back to the volunteer camp.

Upon reaching the site, she saw that all the men were gathered around Yoruichi-sensei. Ah, so they were called for a meeting, and Tōshirō probably didn't want to interrupt her phone call just to tell her he needed to leave. The moment their eyes met, Tōshirō slightly raised his hand, a gesture barely visible to everyone but Rukia, and made a waving motion at the raven-haired girl. Yes, they _were _getting closer, finally...

* * *

DAY 2:

Rukia's head was pounding. It seemed as though she ran out of luck this day. Maybe she used it all the day before? She woke up pretty late and Yoruichi-sensei even made it her personal task to wake the petite girl up. She could still hear the ringing in her ears after the weird teacher positioned her megaphone right outside her tent. Darn, she really must have used a lot of energy in keeping up with Yachiru the day before that she didn't wake up in time. She could feel a headache coming, not because she was still tired, but because of the booming voice of a rather aggravated Yoruichi-sensei who was still barking orders for everyone.

She took a bath, changed her clothes and got ready in record time. When she was finally geared up to officially start her day, she noticed something odd...where was Tōshirō? Rather, where were all the boys? And as if on cue, another oddity hit her. Literally. And that oddity had bright pink hair and soft red cheeks.

"Hiya, Shorty-chan!"

Rukia was rubbing the spot on her forehead where the oddity named Yachiru hit her. 'How could she jump that high and reach my forehead?' Rukia mused, waving off the voice in her head saying the kid didn't really need to jump so high because Rukia was only a pitiful feet or so taller than the pink-haired energy ball.

"Hey, Chiru-chan." Rukia had finally resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't do anything to make this little girl call her by name because courtesy didn't seem like her strong point, especially since the kid even called her own father 'Kenpachi' instead of dad.

"You're late Shorty-chan. I've been waiting and looking everywhere for you." Yup, she sure was. Rukia glanced around; everything was a mess. 'Looks like hurricane Yachiru just visited camp.'

"Oh, I woke up late. Sorry about that Chiru-chan." Yachiru bounced happily, accepting Rukia's excuse. The raven-haired girl swore she would sleep much longer that night to regain the energy she would need for the day after to keep up with this kid's own, which seemed to double that day.

"Oh, by the way Chiru-chan, have you seen...Tōshirō?" It was weird asking a kid, but since their job was to help Yachiru's family, Rukia assumed Tōshirō went to visit them while she was still asleep.

"Who?" Yachiru looked confused for a moment. "Oh! Whitey-chan? Yes, yes! He's with Kenpachi hammering and nailing our house."

Hammering and nailing? Oh, they were in the construction site. That was probably where all the guys had gone to. _Sigh_. It looked like she wouldn't see Tōshirō until much, much later.

It was late in the afternoon when the girls were asked to prepare dinner for their respective partners. Rukia was looking forward to this—finally seeing Tōshirō after one tiring day of running around with Yachiru on her own. She couldn't help but admire how easily they were functioning like a real family—the father goes to work in the morning; the mother stays at home and takes care of the daughter; then the father goes home to his waiting wife...Rukia's thoughts were broken when a still energetic Yachiru, despite it being night time, shouted, "Whitey-chan!"

And there he was, tired and sweaty, but still managed to look handsome. And, he even managed a smile. All the other girls had their eyes glued on him instead of their own respective partners, perhaps daydreaming of what they would do if they were in Rukia's stead.

Rukia, sitting on the ground with Yachiru as if on a picnic, couldn't help but smile back. She handed him the food she prepared and the three of them ate together...just like a real family.

Rukia couldn't stop herself from staring at Tōshirō. It was just so nice of him to still afford to smile at them even if it was clear that he was exhausted. Rukia unconsciously took her handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped Tōshirō's face—the sweat on his brows, the dirt on his cheek, the food stains near his lips...Tōshirō looked up and smiled his signature smile at Rukia, who finally realized what she was doing and looked away to hide the deep blush creeping up her cheeks. That was when she realized the other girls were glaring daggers at her. She chose to ignore them, and looked at Tōshirō from the corner of her eye. He was talking to an enthusiastic Yachiru, asking her how her day went, just like a real father would. He would surely make a great one someday...

* * *

Two more days passed without incident.

On the morning of the 5th day, Yoruichi-sensei reported at an assembly by the grassy area that several of the volunteers had gotten sick and had to be sent home.

Unfortunately, Tōshirō was one of them.

For a while, Rukia imagined that life at the outreach would be extremely boring without Tōshirō, even if the most she saw of him was at night when she handed the food she prepared after he worked as a carpenter during the day. The way he smiles at her had been such an inspiration to Rukia—something she looked forward to everyday. Even when she was so exhausted from running after the energetic Yachiru and other frisky toddlers, and teaching them songs all day long, she still looked forward to doing her early evening food routine. Now, what would keep her going without Tōshirō there? The kids, perhaps? Or the community she had come to know?

* * *

**a. **_Should I stay on and finish what I started—and what I actually came here for?_

or

**b.** _Should I go home as well and volunteer to be Tōshirō's nurse on the way home?_

* * *

Yup, cliffie. Please, when I'm gone again for more than a week, feel free to bombard me with messages to remind me of my responsibilities. I tend to lose track of them. Anyhoo, thanks for reading. Have a great day!


	6. The Star of the Show: Supergirl Juliet!

**EDIT: **20-May-2011. Fixed grammar and spelling errors. Removed bulky A/N.

Warnings for extreme OOC-ness, fast pace and overall teenage-ness. =)

End of the outreach is in this chapter. :D

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 5**

_The Star of the Show: Supergirl Juliet!_

* * *

_Previously…_

_Two more days passed without incident._

_On the morning of the 5th day, Yoruichi-sensei reported at an assembly by the grassy area that several of the volunteers had gotten sick and had to be sent home._

_Unfortunately, Tōshirō was one of them._

_For a while, Rukia imagined that life at the outreach would be extremely boring without Tōshirō, even if the most she saw of him was at night when she handed the food she prepared after he worked as a carpenter during the day. The way he smiles at her had been such an inspiration to Rukia—something she looked forward to everyday. Even when she was so exhausted from running after the energetic Yachiru and other frisky toddlers, and teaching them songs all day long, she still looked forward to doing her early evening food routine. Now, what would keep her going without Tōshirō there? The kids, perhaps? Or the community she had come to know?_

* * *

**a. **_Should I stay on and finish what I started—and what I actually came here for?_

or

**b.** _Should I go home as well and volunteer to be Tōshirō's nurse on the way home?_

* * *

RUKIA sadly said her goodbyes to Tōshirō who weakly boarded the van that was taking the sick and the volunteer nurses back home. Rukia really wanted to be a volunteer nurse for Tōshirō, especially since that blonde junior girl Makoto Yumi was one of the volunteer nurses and Rukia was so certain that she wouldn't let such an opportunity to get closer to Tōshirō slip away. The problem was, Rukia couldn't take it upon herself to leave the poor, helpless people of the community she had grown quite fond of—the real reason she was there in the first place. She had gotten close to them, and somehow, she got the feeling that she was well-liked. It filled her heart with undeniable joy.

It was on the Tuesday of the second week of their stay when Yoruichi-sensei encouraged everybody to appreciate nature and take photos for posterity. Rukia suspected, however, that Yoruichi-sensei simply wanted company in the photos so she could pin them up on the bulletin board at school. But the dark-skinned woman was in such a good mood that day—which was very rare for her—that no one had the heart to say no. One of the volunteers gamely put a picnic basket together while all the girls and Yoruichi-sensei trooped to the nearby creek, the one where Tōshirō and Rukia sat beside each other almost a week ago. The water was ice-cold and the huge rocks were slippery.

"Isn't this wonderful girls?" Yoruichi-sensei asked, sniffing the air. "Fresh air! Clear water! Okay, let's have our photo taken here!"

From out of nowhere, an official photographer appeared.

It turns out, the town's local officials sent him to take snapshots showing how everyone was happy and having fun at the evacuation site. The girls were all in a row, trying to smile despite the sun's glare, when all of a sudden, they heard someone screaming and crying. Heads turned in every direction, searching for the source of the sound. When they finally found where it came from, they saw that a small boy, no more than 7 years of age, had somehow managed to get to the other side of the creek. He didn't look like he was in grave danger, but all of his friends have ran away and fear had made him hysterical. Also, he had no clothes on.

Rukia remembered the kid as one of Yachiru's playmates during one of their babysitting sessions.

Yoruichi-sensei yelled to ask if he was okay, and through his tears he said no, and that he stepped on a sharp stone, slipped, and his left foot was wounded, so he couldn't make it back home. Suddenly, everyone noticed how the air was dry and prickly on the skin. Not at all suitable for someone to forego wearing clothes.

The official photographer—the only grown male in the area at the moment—looked at his shoes, looked at the creek, and then didn't say a word. Rukia figured he was _not_ going to do it without second thought, so she—in a fit of courage and a very impulsive on-the-spot decision—suddenly waded through the creek towards the poor little boy. The other girls call out to her to come back and ask for help instead, but the little boy looked so afraid that Rukia could barely imagine leaving him there any longer. So she plodded on, and the water got deeper until it was waist high. The petite girl swallowed heavily, summoning all the courage she had earlier. Rukia finally got to the boy and told him to ride on her back, which the frightened child did without pause, and then walked back through the waist deep water. The raven-haired girl carried him on her back all the way home that by nightfall, she was drained of energy.

Her mom would surely scold Rukia if she ever found out that the petite girl got sick during the outreach and didn't even bother calling home. Rukia couldn't, however, imagine leaving everyone she had gotten close to before the whole program was even over, so she decided to stay…again.

* * *

The heat of the sun, plus the fact that her adrenaline shot up too fast too soon when she rescued the boy the day before left Rukia extremely tired and exhausted. She had been instructed to rest and cool off in the large tent the whole day. She had been in the outreach for a week and a half, and because it was so close to the end of the program, she pleaded with Yoruichi-sensei to not send her home, promising to recover in no time.

Some of the kids Rukia babysit during the day, led by the boy she rescued and a happily bouncing Yachiru, came to visit her. They took a peek in groups, giggling as they poked their heads in. At some point, the giggling didn't stop and Rukia was so distracted from the manga she was reading that she just put it down and indulged her guests.

Suddenly, someone called out Rukia's name as if to check if she was awake. The voice was familiar, but in her disorientation, Rukia couldn't quite place it…

Tōshirō poked his head in. "Hi, heard you were sick, supergirl."

ACK! The first thing that came to Rukia's mind was that she looked sick.

"Hi, w-what are you doing here?" Rukia asked as she tried to fix her hair to gain any semblance of order. She would've been blushing bright crimson, too embarrassed at being caught looking worse for wear by the soccer star were she not drained of energy. As it was, she couldn't find it in herself to do more than stutter on a few words to show her nervousness. Thank goodness.

"Can I come in?" he asked. Rukia could see the silhouette of the little kids on the tent wall as they giggled and pushed each other outside, and even heard a yell of "Bye-bye Shorty-chan, Whitey-chan!"

"Sure," Rukia said, sitting up.

"I'm feeling well already," Tōshirō started. "But I'm still not allowed to work. So I'm just visiting. I decided to check on you." He smiled at the end of his statement, looking around the large tent.

Rukia's head spun so quickly she lost track of all other thoughts but one—did he just say _check on **you**? '**Me**?'_

"I wanted to ask you to watch the soccer championships."

She was really feeling a fever now. So Rukia decided to just say, "Yeah, sure."

The raven-haired immediately passed out the moment her head hit the pillow.

"I'm pretty impressed, supergirl." The white-haired lad whispered as he tucked several strands of Rukia's hair behind her ear, smiling before making his way out.

* * *

The rest of the outreach remained uneventful, and before she knew it, Rukia was saying goodbye and going home.

Back at school, Rukia adjusted quickly back to her normal academic life. Everything had been going by smoothly, but she hadn't forgotten about the soccer championships yet. In fact, it was all she could think of the last few days. She hadn't seen Tōshirō since she got back from the outreach, and even if Rukia was still on a high after doing all those good deeds, her mind settled back into its default mode: thinking about Tōshirō.

Rangiku and Momo almost harassed Rukia with all of their questions about what occurred during the outreach. When they finally calmed down, they decided to break some news to Rukia.

"Hey, you've been gone for two weeks and all. And you said you'll make it up to us for choosing the outreach over the Drama Club, right?" Rangiku asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" Rukia asked back.

"Well, girl, the Drama Club is still open for auditions! I don't think they met the needed number of new recruits, so you can still join. Come on! It's going to be so much fun!" Rangiku excitedly announced.

"She's right, Rukia. The Drama Club is really fun. Plus the three of us in it together? Go to the auditions, okay?" Momo said, smiling in encouragement.

Rukia sighed. "Alright. But, I'm not assuring you I'll actually get in, okay? I don't think I'm qualified enough to be a part of the club."

"Oh, come on Kia-chan! No need to get all shy and stuff! You've played several lead roles when we were in middle school! For all we know, maybe the Drama Club is just waiting for you to audition." Rangiku grinned teasingly at her petite friend.

Rukia playfully rolled her eyes. As if.

* * *

The auditions went by pretty well, and Rukia was in. And as if to prove that Rangiku's words true, the auditions were officially closed after Rukia joined the Drama Club.

The whole school seemed to have joined the club, so it really was a wonder why the auditions were still open up to earlier that day. Heck, everyone she knew but Tōshirō was present in the auditorium during their first official meeting—Rangiku, Momo, even Renji and Kaien were there, with his posse of senior guys and girls.

The chose presentation for the school year was the classic _Romeo and Juliet._ Urahara Kisuke, the director, seemed to have a weird obsession with William Shakespeare. Last year, they did _Timon of Athens_ (an embarrassing flop!), and the year before that was _A Midsummer Night's Dream._

Urahara-sensei asked through the megaphone who wanted to play the role of _Juliet_, and no one dared volunteer—suddenly, everyone was volunteering to be everyone else. Irritated, Urahara-sensei announced that the club would be drawing lots for the role and asked all the girls to write down their names on tiny scraps of paper. From the far corner, the fishbowl got passed around as girls dropped in their names. Finally, it came to Rukia, the last girl, trying to be inconspicuous at the opposite corner.

Urahara-sensei took the fishbowl and everyone watched in slow motion as—out of all the tiny scraps of papers in the glass bowl—he picked the last one in, and announced, "Our Juliet is…"

Kuchiki Rukia's name reverberated around the auditorium as everyone turned to her and started the barrage of teases and cheers.

From the noisy crowd, Kaien unexpectedly jumped forward. "Urahara-sensei, can I be Romeo?"

Rukia scowled. She knew Kaien was just trying to irritate her. Urahara-sensei rolled his eyes, smiling behind his fan as he said, "Of course you an, Shiba-san." Kaien smiled mischievously and gave Rukia a playful wink, with which the petite girl's reply was her tongue.

Everyone knew this play would not be a passionate love story without a kiss, so Rukia right then and there decided that she must back out—AT ONCE!

Rukia raised her hand and violently protested that she didn't want to play the lead role. In the flurry that followed the role assignments—people laughing at each other for the roles assigned to them—nobody heard Rukia protesting. Even Urahara-sensei, now surrounded by laughing students, never once saw her waving her hand wildly.

Rukia decided to tell him after the club time was over. But when she knocked on his office after class, no one was around. Instead, she found something posted on his door: the cast list—with her as Juliet and Kaien as Romeo.

* * *

Thank you to all the reviews I'm still getting! I'll try to update as often as I can. Have a great day everyone!


	7. First Kiss and The Championship

**EDIT**: 26-May-2011 Removed author's notes.

Sorry I wasn't able to respond to the reviews, but I really appreciate them all. Thank you very much!

Warnings for extreme OOC-ness, fast pace and overall teenage-ness. =)

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 6**

_First Kiss and The Championship_

* * *

_Previously…_

_Urahara-sensei took the fishbowl and everyone watched in slow motion as—out of all the tiny scraps of papers in the glass bowl—he picked the last one in, and announced, "Our Juliet is…"_

_Kuchiki Rukia's name reverberated around the auditorium as everyone turned to her and started the barrage of teases and cheers._

_From the noisy crowd, Kaien unexpectedly jumped forward. "Urahara-sensei, can I be Romeo?"_

_Rukia scowled. She knew Kaien was just trying to irritate her. Urahara-sensei rolled his eyes, smiling behind his fan as he said, "Of course you an, Shiba-san." Kaien smiled mischievously and gave Rukia a playful wink, with which the petite girl's reply was her tongue._

_Everyone knew this play would not be a passionate love story without a kiss, so Rukia right then and there decided that she must back out—AT ONCE!_

_Rukia raised her hand and violently protested that she didn't want to play the lead role. In the flurry that followed the role assignments—people laughing at each other for the roles assigned to them—nobody heard Rukia protesting. Even Urahara-sensei, now surrounded by laughing students, never once saw her waving her hand wildly._

_Rukia decided to tell him after the club time was over. But when she knocked on his office after class, no one was around. Instead, she found something posted on his door: the cast list—with her as Juliet and Kaien as Romeo._

* * *

AS Juliet (thanks to a lucky or unlucky draw of her name from an entire fishbowl), Rukia was required to practice kissing her Romeo, a.k.a. Kaien, There was a lot of hooting in the background as she stood on the stage, clutching her script tightly in her hands. The middle school club members were nearly dying of giggles, trying to contain their fits of laughter as they whispered about. They were squirming like worms, cheeks flushed to a deep shade of red, some even trying to cover their eyes.

Rukia was blushing madly herself, and she took several deep breaths in an attempt to make the warmth on her cheeks disappear. Kaien, on the other hand, looked super cool about it, going over the script as though oblivious to the not-too-subtle murmurs in the auditorium. The director, Urahara-sensei, a strict and dedicated thespian, quickly shushed the group and scolded the higher batches for what he called _"a drought in maturity"_. He snapped his fingers for Kaien to come forward, and the senior did, looking a bit distracted but still a little nonchalant. He seemed to be to preoccupied with memorizing his lines, if the little mutterings from his lips were any indication.

Then, Urahara-sensei snapped his fingers for Rukia, who jumped and scooted over nervously to where he and Kaien stood as if in a huddle, in the middle of the small stage.

"Okay," said Urahara-sensei. "You both have to close your eyes and just let your lips meet. No need to get wild about it, just," the blonde-haired teacher took a deep breath and paused for dramatic effect, "…look passionate and incredibly consumed by your love for each other."

"What? No tongue?" Kaien joked, chuckling as Urahara-sensei swatted him on the arm with his fan.

"Proceed with Act 1, Scene 5," Urahara-sensei ordered.

Kaien took Rukia's hand in his. His hand was surprisingly cold. Was he nervous as well? Maybe, just good at masking it? Naaah, why would he be? It wasn't like this was his first kiss, being a famous womanizer and all.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this; my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss," Kaien delivered his line, looking directly at Rukia's amethyst orbs.

Urahara-sensei looked at Rukia expectantly.

"G-good pilgrim," she started nervously. "You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Urahara-sensei and everyone else who was watching, were all utterly captivated by the scene unfolding before them.

Even Rukia, who somehow started to gain confidence. "Ay, pilgrim lips that they must use in prayer."

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move; though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take."

Kaien cupped Rukia's face in his hands. The petite woman's nervousness came back, she almost felt she was about to faint. No one has ever kissed her on the lips before, and she didn't imagine she would get it this way. Kaien's hands were surprisingly colder than before, and in an instant after Rukia closed her eyes, she felt his lips tender on hers. She froze on her spot as she took in the weird sensation of a pair of lips on hers. Were his lips trembling? Must have been hers.

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged," Kaien continued.

There was a moment of silence before Rukia, still in a state of shock, remembered she needed to throw a line back. "T-then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again."

But before Kaien could kiss Rukia again, Urahara-sensei put his fan between their faces, meeting it with Kaien's lips in the process. "Okay, that's good enough for a start. We'll take a break and practice that again."

As if not embarrassing enough, Rukia and Kaien needed to practice the kiss over and over again!

The small crowd of junior members dispersed as they went chattering about the scene they had just witnessed moments prior. Kaien left for the backstage, once again concentrating on memorizing his lines. Rukia breathed a sigh of relief, one that didn't go past Urahara-sensei's sharp eyes, judging by the knowing look the blonde teacher threw her way before he left her standing alone in the middle of the stage. She lowered her shoulders in defeat, glaring at the script she held in her hands. The auditorium doors suddenly opened breaking her staring contest with the inanimate paper, revealing a breathless Rangiku. The buxom strawberry blonde rushed towards Rukia and pulled her aside.

"Kia-chan, I've got some…uhm, bad news," Rangiku said, still gasping for breath.

"Wh-what is it?" Rukia curiously but nervously asked.

"I overheard that the guys from the soccer team are coming over here _'just to pass time and see Shiba Kaien score a kiss with that sophomore girl'_." Rangiku said, complete with air quotes and all.

Oh no. Red lights began flashing wildly inside Rukia's head. That would be taking the word _embarrassing_ to the extreme level—kissing Kaien in front of Tōshirō? No way; just no freakin' way.

That was why Kuchiki Rukia now sat idly inside the girls' comfort room, sitting on the counter swinging her legs lazily. She feigned—of all the possible illnesses in the world—diarrhea (because there would be no room for arguments with that), and so she silently sat in the rest room watching the minutes tick by.

After being gone for a good two hours, Kaien finally came in looking for her, sounding really concerned.

"Hey Rukia, you okay in there?" The senior asked, knocking outside the girls' comfort room.

Rukia gagged and said, "I'm feeling sick, really. I think I'm running a fever."

It occurred to her—and it occurred really late—that the next day was the soccer championships and she was hoping to catch it. Now it seemed like she was supposed stay home.

* * *

It was the day of the soccer championships, and here was Rukia, home. Bored. Annoyed. She was staring blankly at the TV, so pissed that she managed to trap herself indoor when she could be at the championship game. Aaarrggh! She dropped heavily on her bed, flailing about in irritation, mentally scolding herself for being so stupid. It was just a kiss anyway, why did she have to make such a fuss out of it and end up getting herself trapped inside her house on a very beautiful day? Both her parents were at work, and even Nel wasn't home. Talk about having no social life.

A honk outside disturbed her self-berating thoughts as a car drove up the front of her house, and through the window, she saw that it was Kaien's. He parked the car and came out of it holding a porcelain bowl with utmost care.

Rukia was so happy at seeing another soul, someone she could actually talk with after a long boring day all by herself, that she hurriedly opened the door to meet him, forgetting that she was _supposed to be sick_ and couldn't get out of bed.

"Hey," Kaien greeted as soon as the door opened, looking very surprised. "For someone sick and bedridden, you look like a knockout. How did you recover so fast?"

"Huh?" Rukia blinked dumbly and frowned. Sick...and bedridden? She bit her lip as she remembered her lie from the day before. "Oh yeah, well...I'm trying to think positively, you know, that I'm not sick at all, I mean."

_What? Where did that come from? Could you say lame?_

"What's that you're holding?" Rukia asked, trying to change the topic.

"Oh." Kaien smiled and gently opened the lid of the bowl. "I brought you alphabet soup," he said proudly. "I'm on my way to the soccer championships where your dear old Tōshirō will be playing. But I just wanted to make sure my Juliet will be present and healthy when the play opens."

Rukia frowned as she guiltily close her eyes, regretting her little fib.

* * *

**a. **_Should I confess to him the truth about my 'sickness'? Kaien is so thoughtful, how could I even lie to him? All he wanted was to be professional about the play!_

or

**b. **_Should I just let it slide? Kaien might hate me for being a liar. Maybe I can continue on with the charade—besides, I'll only be missing one game._

* * *

Rukia took a deep breath, bracing herself for what was to come. "Hey, Kai. I…I need to tell you something."

"Spill." he gamely replied.

"You might...hate me for it, but...I, well, I'm not sick. I-I just made that up as an excuse to be freed from practice because…Rangiku said…the, uhm, the guys from the soccer team—"

Kaien interrupted Rukia by putting his hand on her head and affectionately ruffling her hair. There was a momentary look of hurt in his eyes, but Rukia passed it off as her imagination when it was gone the next second.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand. I actually saw them there. No problem, Rukia. Come to the game with me. Maybe we can have a seat at the players' bench."

"R-Really?" Her amethyst eyes lit up in glee as she clutched Kaien's sleeve.

"Yeah. I know Coach Ukitake personally. He was my former trainer," the senior said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "So what do you say?"

Rukia was so excited that she dressed up in record time and hopped into Kaien's car.

They arrived at the game a few minutes after it began, and true enough, they were sitting beside the soccer stars.

* * *

From the corner of her eye, something flying came at Rukia's direction at the speed of light. It was only a split second before something bopped her—_hard_—on the head. As her vision began to fade, Rukia felt herself falling backwards off the bench, and she distinctly heard people rushing and shouting things to her direction.

The ball hit her. And that was he last thought before she blacked out. When she regained consciousness, Coach Ukitake was snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Whose ball was it?" Someone from the crowd around her asked.

"Mine," Tōshirō said, pushing forward through the tight circle of players and a worried Kaien who hovered over Rukia.

"Coach, can I take her to the clinic?"

Rukia blurrily saw Coach Ukitake gave Toushirou the go signal. Rukia heard Tōshirō ask her to put her arm around him and felt him gently lift her off the ground. They walked towards the clinic together and the whole time, Tōshirō apologized for being grubby. No problem, Rukia thought. After all, he spent the entire afternoon scuttling about the field trying to score goals for the school.

After they were taken in by the school nurse, Kotetsu Isane, Tōshirō began to apologize again.

"I'm really, really sorry about hitting you. Are you sure you're okay?" He sounded really guilty and concerned that Rukia's heart fluttered.

"Yeah. No worries. I think you should go back to the game. The team needs you." Rukia, despite the headache, still managed to smile at him, although her eyes lost focus of his face.

Still, she saw (or perhaps imagined) Tōshirō smiling shyly back. "Okay. I'm really sorry. I guess I'll go ahead."

"Yeah. Good luck." Rukia slurredly replied before she promptly passed out.

* * *

**A/N: **Tōshirō fans might be interested to find out that the next chapter is ALL HIM. :D Thanks for reading everyone! Have a great day!


	8. All His Right Moves

**EDIT: **28-May-2011 and 30-August-2011. Removed author's notes. Fixed grammar and spelling errors.

This, I believe, is the longest ATRM chapter (so please forgive me for any errors I overlooked). It's my favorite because it's the only chapter that's not actually a part of the book from where the whole story came from, and because I'm a sucker for such stories (you guys should see that Thai film, A Crazy Little Thing Called Love!).

Anyhoo, I told some of you guys I'll see you in August, and voila! Here I am (it still is August, you know ^^)! Although I fear the next update will come in September, because I have a reaaaaallly important paper due in two weeks. Next chap will probably be on Sept 10. Next one is on the 11th, and so on. :) If I don't get it up by then, can someone please send me a message to remind me? I tend to forget lots of stuff.

Anyhoo, let's move on to more important things!

Warning: Extreme OOC-ness, although since you've been reading til this point, you probably are already expecting that.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 7**

All _His _Right Moves

* * *

IT was Hitsugaya Tōshirō's first day in Karakura High. Today, he was starting his freshman year in high school, the year where he was almost-but-not-quite free from his childhood years. He slowly walked towards the high school building of the large campus, but in order to get there, he needed to pass through the middle school department since it was on the way. And as he was walking by the said department, middle school girls flocked on the sidelines just to have a glimpse of the rumored transferee—the soccer prodigy who earned his fame at a really young age.

Tōshirō should have been used to all the attention he was getting, because to be honest, he had been swooned over since he was a little kid. But he wasn't. And don't get him wrong, he was thankful for the appreciation, but sometimes, it was disturbing when grown women would ogle him when he was merely a child. The attention never failed to overwhelm him, giving him random urges to go bury himself six feet below the ground just to escape the people's scrutinizing gazes.

It was in the middle of this train of thought that he saw _her._

In the middle of the noisy, giggling crowd, a pair of stunning amethyst orbs caught Tōshirō's attention. A petite girl with silky raven hair was looking at him shyly with her big, curious amethyst pools, and Tōshirō couldn't help but stop dead in his tracks and let himself get captivated by those beautiful eyes. A few seconds and more giggling later, he realized he had been staring a tiny bit too much, so he tore his gaze away and proceeded towards the high school building.

Since then, Tōshirō would always see the petite girl with her two friends in the field watching the soccer team practice. He had developed this weird type of comfort in the girl's gaze, so it didn't really bother him that she was staring at him.

In fact, he was…flattered.

And through the years, Hitsugaya Tōshirō had seen this shy, petite girl evolve into the radiant woman she was today.

What started out as a weird fondness for the girl with the beautiful amethyst orbs started to develop into something deeper. Tōshirō often found himself slightly worrying where the petite girl was when he failed to spot her during the soccer team's practice games. His increasing worry even came to a point when he started wondering if she had lost all interest in soccer (he wasn't so full of himself—of course he assumed that the girl watched them because she liked soccer!), only to sigh in relief when she showed up in the next practice session. Throughout these two years of silent observation, Tōshirō never made a move to try to know her. She had always been the shy girl with the beautiful eyes. The shy girl with the beautiful eyes who liked soccer. And staring at him. And so he finally decided, in his junior year, that it was time he did something to get to know the woman who had been haunting his thoughts for the past two years.

It was on the first day of his junior year when Tōshirō anxiously awaited for any sign of the petite girl. He wanted—no, needed—to know if she was still in their school. What made him think otherwise, Tōshirō didn't know, but he just felt like he needed some form of assurance. Although if he was honest to himself, Tōshirō really just wanted a glimpse of her after the long school break with no sign of her. There was only 15 minutes left before classes officially started, yet there was no sign of the girl with the beautiful eyes yet. Tōshirō sighed to himself. It may sound a little desperate for his taste, but he needed to do it for the sake of his own peace of mind.

And so, he ventured into the sophomore corridor, pretending to be lost while looking at the room numbers and discreetly throwing glances at the occupants of the classrooms in hope of finding a certain raven-haired girl. After about 5 minutes or so, he finally spotted her—walking with her strawberry blonde friend.

What she and her friend—Matsumoto, if he remembered correctly—thought was the realization of being lost dawning on him was actually an expression of relief after finding out that _she _was still in the same school. He was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after that, and so school went on without a hitch for him.

* * *

Contrary to what other people think, Hitsugaya Tōshirō was not only interested in sports and academics, but in literature and in civic service as well. Upon hearing the school's announcement of its first activities, he was torn apart in either joining the outreach program or getting into the Drama Club.

* * *

**a.** _Should I do something noble—something I have always wanted to do—and join the outreach?_

or

**b.** _Should I do something fun—something I have always wanted to do—and join the Drama Club?_

* * *

The latter would definitely ruin his schedule, because practice sessions with the soccer team had been hogging up all his free time. He could barely imagine himself being able to fulfill his responsibilities with the Drama club, so he chose to join the outreach instead.

..

..

..

..

It was the first general assembly for the outreach program volunteers, and Tōshirō just came off practice. He tried pleading with Coach Ukitake to release him early, but the kind coach sadly said that he couldn't, since Tōshirō was so adamant in joining the outreach that the soccer prodigy couldn't afford to miss any more practice sessions before his two-week absence. So there he was, running through the hallways towards the auditorium, his large soccer bag in tow. He entered through the side door, and found the auditorium empty. Well, almost. In the middle of the empty audi, a certain raven-haired woman was standing, well, leaning forward to be more exact. Tōshirō hesitated a bit, but finally walked towards her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, uhm, what did I miss? I had practice, sorry..." What made him automatically assume that she was also joining the outreach was beyond him. But whether or not she was, he just wanted to grab the golden opportunity to talk to her. Without prying eyes and gossiping lips. He closely watched as the woman fumbled for a moment and stared at him with those bright amethyst eyes. Upon realizing that she was trying to reach something before he came in, Tōshirō leaned forward slightly and caught sight of a pen on the floor. Bingo.

"Oh, let me help you," he offered, and then reached over to pick the pen up. He handed it to her, and the momentary touching of their skins gave Tōshirō a weird, fluttering warmth in his chest. He continued to watch as she said nothing, fearing for a moment that his earlier assumption—that she was going to join the outreach as well—had been wrong. He decided to ask again, just to be sure. He hold on to his hopes tightly.

"So...uhm, what was discussed during the assembly? I couldn't get out of practice. I'm sorry." This time, the raven-haired girl answered his query, and yes! She indeed was going to the outreach as well.

They talked for a good two minutes before a booming, irritated voice interrupted them.

"Oi, Rukia!"

He glanced at the direction of the audi door and found the popular senior, Shiba Kaien, standing there, looking very much pissed off. Tōshirō wondered if the famous womanizer was her boyfriend... No, probably not. He _hoped _not. He was shaken out of his deep thought when the petite girl hastily handed him some papers that looked like the outreach kit, wrote something on it—her number, he noted happily in his mind—and asked him to call her. And for the first time in two years, her name confidently rolled off his tongue.

* * *

Tōshirō was pacing inside his room—back and forth, forth and back... He had been walking aimlessly around the four walls of his bedroom for quite some time already, and during that period, he had been contemplating about one thing. In fact, he had been contemplating on this particular thing for the past three days...

* * *

**a.** _Should I call her?_

or

**b.**_ Should I not call her?_

* * *

At 10:30 pm on the third night, he finally gathered his nerves and just decided to go for it. He was quite anxious, and he silently prayed that either she picks up or no one picks up at all. It wasn't his lucky night, though, as a stern male voice spoke on the other end of the line.

"Kuchiki residence."

With all the confidence he could muster, the soccer player calmly and politely answered, "Good evening, sir. May I please speak with Rukia?"

There was a stretch of silence that made Tōshirō more than a bit uncomfortable, and more than once did he think that the line might have been disconnected.

"She's already asleep. Call tomorrow before 9 pm if you want to talk to her."

That did it for his confidence. "Th-thank you, sir."

And Tōshirō heard him hang up.

Was that her dad? He sure sounded strict and…intimidating. Tōshirō sighed heavily and shrugged the thoughts away as he went to sleep. He would just talk to her tomorrow.

..

..

..

..

He checked the field. He already looked at the stairways, the library, the several classrooms lining up the sophomore corridor...but she was nowhere in sight. The final building filled him with doubt—could she be in there? In the Home Economics building? At this point, he really didn't have a choice. So he searched through the HE building, glancing at the labs and the lecture rooms; still, there was no raven-haired woman. Sighing, he made his way out when bingo! There she was, walking in deep thought that she didn't even notice passing by him. He shrugged and called out to her.

"Hey, I tried calling you." The raven-haired woman turned around and looked at him in surprise.

"Your dad sounds really strict. Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Okaaaay... He didn't really mean for that to come out of his treacherous mouth. Seeing that she seemed to be pondering on what he said, he inwardly panicked. "Are you still going to the outreach, Rukia?" He asked, trying to divert her attention away from what he said. He smiled at her shyly, ashamed of almost being caught. She didn't say anything for a while, and Tōshirō began to worry.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?"

The woman in question blinked and replied, "Y-Yes, why?"

"You seem a little pale..." _She's sick, maybe that's why she seems a little out of it... _He watched the petite woman take a deep breath and compose herself.

"I-I'm actually not yet sure if I would go…" She sighed. "I-It's just that…I might be busy with school by then."

Tōshirō was surprised for a moment, before his face fell in clear disappointment he didn't even bother hiding. "Oh, that's too bad. The outreach sounds like it's going to be really worthwhile, you know?" He tried to persuade her, crossing his fingers inside his pants' pockets.

They stood in silence for a moment as the petite girl seemed to contemplate on what he said. Then she finally replied, "Y-You know what, I…I'm going for sure."

Tōshirō's heart leaped. He smiled happily. "Wow, that's great! I'm really excited!"

"Are your friends going?"

"Nah. They're all on the soccer team and practice will be heavy around that time." He couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He was overjoyed.

"And what about you, won't you be practicing?"

That dampened his spirit a little, thinking of the conversation .he had with his coach about this subject. "Coach allowed me to take two weeks off because I really insisted." He sighed, already imagining the hectic schedule he'd be facing for the next couple of weeks. "But that means I can't miss practice before then. Plus, the championship is almost right after the outreach, so I guess I'll hardly be seeing anyone before the outreach."

For the second time that day, his face fell. But the raven-haired girl seemed to be too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll be studying, practicing." He sighed tiredly. "But I'm sure this outreach is gonna be worth it." As he thought of the promising two-week outreach program after his hectic ones, his face brightened with a smile again. "It's good to know you're going, too. I hardly know anyone there."

The raven-haired girl started huffing air, and Tōshirō was deeply worried.

"You really okay? You know, I can walk you to the clinic if—"

And the bell rang. The petite girl rushed off with a "Sorry, I have to go!"

He called out to her a final time. "See you at the outreach!"

As soon as the girl was out of sight, Tōshirō resumed walking, now with a bounce in his steps, grinning excitedly at the prospect of the two of them at the outreach together.

* * *

He had been busy in the past weeks, and he was so thankful when the day of the outreach finally came. He arrived early, eagerly scanning the crowd for a familiar face. Nope, not there yet. He was silently hoping to board the same bus as her. He was passing his waiver form to Shihōin-sensei when the raven-haired girl finally arrived. Tōshirō searched for her when the early-birds were asked to board the first bus, but she was still talking to someone on the phone. He tried to wait for her, but Shihōin-sensei had stared at him in the eye, silently telling him to board the bus, "no" clearly not being an option. So Tōshirō reluctantly followed the silent order, praying that the petite girl would finish her call soon so she could be in Bus A as well. He sat beside the window and told everyone who asked to sit beside him that the seat was reserved for someone. He frowned lightly when the door of the bus closed, signalling their departure. She didn't make it to Bus A.

Tōshirō slept throughout the trip.

After Shihōin-sensei announced that they would be paired up for the duration of the outreach, Tōshirō immediately thought of being with the petite woman. He planned on asking her after he finished setting up his tent, when this junior girl he didn't even know the name of approached him and bluntly asked him to be her partner. He politely apologized to her and told her he already had a partner. When the junior girl left with a huff, Tōshirō went over to where the raven-haired girl was standing and tapped her on the shoulder. He only then realized that during the time he was setting up his tent, she could have been asked by someone else. Losing some of the nerve he gathered, he asked if she could be his partner. He even unwittingly blurted out "Could you be mine?" at the end of his statement. Oh, if only he could say that and mean it in a different, more romantic way!

Good thing she didn't make a fuss out of it. Damn you treacherous mouth!

They went to Shihōin-sensei and asked her the name of the family they were assigned to help. Upon seeing the two of them,Shihōin-sensei grinned mischievously, a grin that Tōshirō didn't quite get, then replied, "Zaraki family." They soon met the said family and immediately knew why the teacher grinned at them. This had to be the weirdest family ever—an eerily calm and kind woman for a mother, a fight-thirsty large man for a father, and a bouncing bubbly girl as a daughter. When the parents left, the couple was entrusted with the walking pink package of energy and enthusiasm they affectionately called Pinky-chan.

After a hard half-day's work, they found themselves worn out. Somehow, Tōshirō was able to lead the amethyst-eyed woman to the nearby creek without the said woman noticing it. The heavens were sooo on his side that day. They were alone. He discreetly scanned the area from side to side, just to make sure. Yep, ALONE. He quietly searched his head for the right things to say.

"That was tiresome...but it was fun." He smiled shyly at her. Somehow, whenever she was around, he just couldn't help but smile more often even when there was no reason.

"Yeah, Yachiru is one restless kid." And she smiled back. He was entranced by her smile that he wasn't paying too much attention to what he said next. "Right...But the whole experience was fun. I don't think it would have been the same if I were with a stranger."

"Yeah, me-" Their conversation was cut short when her cell phone went off. Tōshirō sighed inwardly, disappointed. Why now? Why not earlier? Or later? He watched her excuse herself and walk away before answering her call. One of their co-volunteers approached him and told Tōshirō that the guys were called by Yoruichi-sensei for an assembly. He nodded as the other volunteer left. He contemplated on whether or not to tell the petite woman that he needed to leave.

* * *

**a.** _Should I be rude and interrupt her call?_

or

**b.** _Should I be rude and just leave?_

* * *

Tōshirō frowned slightly at his two options. Either way, he would appear rude to her, so he might as well just explain afterwards. He was about to call her attention when he heard her ask the caller, "You with Rangiku and Momo?" Ah, if it isn't one of those girls, only one other person was associated with her that was also associated with those two. There would be no doubt that the person on the other end of the line was the senior, Shiba Kaien.

_Note to self: Know if anything is really going on between them..._

Tōshirō wanted so badly to cut in, but he himself didn't trust his mouth at the moment and feared that he might say something stupid like bluntly ask if they were going out or something. He would definitely sound jealous, or possessive, depending on how he would word his thoughts. He couldn't risk scaring the petite woman off that early (early refers to the first few stages of their…uhmmm relationship of some sort). So he chose to just leave and tell her later why.

He arrived at the assembly area where an irate Yoruichi-sensei was standing in the middle, waiting for the others, namely him, so she could start the meeting. She discussed the work they will be doing for the next few days which included carpentry and working their asses off. From the corner of his eye, Tōshirō saw the petite woman walk towards the assembly area, looking for something, or rather someone. And he knew it was him she was looking for. When emerald met amethyst, he slightly raised his hand and waved at her, which was rewarded with a smile. Ah, they were truly getting closer...

Tōshirō woke up early the next day, and found almost everyone else awake except a certain raven-haired woman. The first thing that came to his mind was that she was probably with the Zaraki's, so he rushed to the place where the said family were temporarily taking shelter in. To his disappointment, no amethyst-eyed woman was there. What's worse, the head of the family, Kenpachi, was grinning rather evilly at him, muttering something like "So, you're excited to start, huh?", grabbed him and dragged him towards the construction site with Retsu, before telling his daughter, "Go find his-" he jerked a thumb at Tōshirō, "-wife, and don't leave her side until we come back." Tōshirō watched as Yachiru bounced off quite literally to go find _his wife._

Upon arrival at the construction site, Tōshirō knew he would be spending the whole day there, and though it felt good to know that he would be of help to them, he couldn't stop himself from being a little disappointed at the thought of not seeing the petite woman until much, much later...

Finally, it was his most awaited time of the day. Here he was, tired—exhausted—but couldn't stop himself from smiling as he thought of _his wife _and _their child _waiting for his return. He chuckled inwardly as he thought of their current situation—how they could actually be compared to a real family. He made his way to where the raven-haired woman and Yachiru were sitting down. They soon started eating, and he was really happy to find out she prepared a really delicious dinner for them. He was mulling over these thoughts when he felt a soft piece of fabric touch his brows, then his cheeks, then the corner of his lips... He looked up and smiled shyly at _his wife._ Oh, how caring she was...just like a real wife...and mother. Upon remembering their set-up, he quickly turned to _their child_ and asked he how her day went. It was going to be a really interesting two-week stay at the volunteer camp.

* * *

_The couple _followed this routine for the next few days. It became Tōshirō's favorite part of the day—the time he was always looking forward to even as he woke up. On the night of the 4th day, however, he felt a little...out of it. He had been working his ass off for the past three days, and truth be told, Kenpachi wasn't going easy on him. He felt a fever coming, but he successfully masked it with a smile as he made his way to the raven-haired woman and Yachiru, waiting for him as usual in their picnic setting. She didn't seem to notice anything, and he really wasn't planning on telling her either. Tōshirō was hoping that a good night's rest was all he needed.

Late that night, when the others were already sound asleep, Tōshirō was awakened with a violent shake. He opened his emerald orbs and found himself staring at yellow cat-like eyes. Yoruichi-sensei felt his forehead, then shook her head.

"Your tentmates called me. They said you were shivering real badly. How are you feeling?"

Tōshirō couldn't form coherent words, and Yoruichi-sensei saw this. "You have a high fever. You should have told me you weren't feeling well." She sighed heavily. "Well, that makes 6 of you. You'll be sent home tomorrow morning. Could you pack your things?" Tōshirō wanted to say no...he wanted to stay. He couldn't afford leaving the people...the Zaraki's...the raven-haired woman...but seeing that he couldn't even voice out his protest, he knew he had no choice.

They were guided to the van very early the next morning. He heard Yoruichi-sensei announcing the names of those who have gotten sick and needed to be sent home, and then asked for volunteer nurses. Half of his mind pleaded that the raven-haired woman would go with them and be his nurse, but the other half of him 'entrusted' the Zaraki's to her. Either way, he would feel happy about her decision.

The van left, and he gazed, through the tinted window, at the raven-haired woman he was leaving alone at the volunteer camp...

* * *

Tōshirō's fever subsided about 3 days after he arrived home. He started attending classes, but was forbidden to do anything strenuous until he fully recovered. It was on the Wednesday of the 2nd week of the outreach when he could no longer stop himself from checking the volunteer camp, or rather, the raven-haired woman.

He arrived there early morning, and was surprised to see everyone but the raven-haired woman huddled in the assembly area. Yoruichi-sensei soon dismissed the volunteers, telling them to go do their assigned tasks. Yoruichi-sensei grinned mischievously at him—the same grin she gave him and the raven-haired woman when they were asking for their assigned family. Before Tōshirō could utter a word, she said, "She's at the large tent, resting. Tried to play superhero, rescued a little boy by crossing the creek. Go check on her." Was he that obvious? Or was this woman just perceptive? Maybe the latter. After all, she was known to have cat-like senses... His train of thoughts was cut short as Yoruichi-sensei's words sank in.

_She's sick._

He walked away without a word, and as he approached the large tent, he called out her name, checking if she was awake. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb her. He saw a few kids with Yachiru giggling outside the tent. At that moment, he knew she was awake. He smiled as he poked his head in.

"Hi, heard you were sick, supergirl."

As soon as the question, "What are you doing here?" left her mouth, Tōshirō frantically searched his head for a reason—any reason. Though he was acting cool on the outside, his mind was in panic. What could he say? It was only because he couldn't help it anymore that he went to check on her. But of course, he couldn't say that! He tried to delay having to give an answer by saying other things until bingo!

"I wanted to ask you to watch the soccer championships." _Nice, Tōshirō!_ He gave himself a mental pat on the back.

After she said, "Yeah, sure", Tōshirō saw how she visibly reddened. He touched her forehead and felt her burn with fever. He gently persuaded her to get some more rest, and as soon as he was sure the woman was unconscious, he stopped restraining himself from caressing the woman. He tucked several strands of her hair behind her ear and said, "I'm pretty impressed, supergirl."

He stayed by her side until Yoruichi-sensei came and took care of her personally.

* * *

He didn't see the raven-haired woman for the next few days, even after the outreach...

The soccer team was given a one-hour break by Coach Ukitake. They were practicing all day, getting ready for the championships for the next day. It was still quite early, so after the break, they would have one last practice session. The boys talked about what to do during the break, and one of them oh-so-smartly suggested, "Let's go watch the Drama Club practice. It's gonna be a good way to pass the time."

(Just then, a cheerful Rangiku passed by and heard the conversation.)

"Yeah, I heard of that, too!" Another member of the team replied. "Let's see Shiba Kaien score a kiss with that sophomore girl."

(Rangiku dashed away from the scene madly. Her destination: the auditorium.)

"Which sophomore girl?" Another asked.

"Kuchiki." A member supplied.

Two heads, one of red and one of white, shot up. One was thinking,_ 'They're in the kissing part already?',_ while the other, smarter one, thought, _'What the hell?'_

Tōshirō suddenly stood up, and the other guys looked at him in surprise. "Let's go if we're going."

The boys looked at each other. That was an unexpected reaction from the soccer star. Usually, he passed on things like that. The red-head, Abarai Renji, stood up as well, "Let's go then."

The guys soon reached the auditorium, but to their dismay, there was no kissing scene to cheer for. Only Urahara-sensei, the director, and Shiba Kaien, the lead actor, were there, standing in the middle of the stage. _Where's Rukia?_ Tōshirō glared at the back of Kaien's head. Fortunately for him, no one seemed to have noticed. The guys waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing happened. The lead actress hadn't returned yet from what was supposed to be a really short break. And the one-hour resting period was over for the guys. So with disappointed sighs they left the audi and returned to the field.

It was the soccer championships. Tōshirō looked around the jam-packed stadium to search for a particular face—and it wasn't there. _She _wasn't there. Tōshirō sighed heavily. The game would start in 5 minutes.

..

..

..

..

In the middle of the game, something caught his eye. Rather, someone. Actually, two _someones_ to be more accurate. Those _someones_ were making their way to the players' bench, and then sat down...beside each other. In this short moment of distraction, Tōshirō made the mistake of kicking the ball without aiming it at the right direction...and it hit—out of all the people in the bench (Why not Shiba? He was just inches away!)—the raven-haired woman. Tōshirō's eyes widened as he immediately ran towards the bench, only to be blocked by the other players and the coaching staff, looming worriedly over the fallen figure. He saw Coach Ukitake snap his fingers repeatedly in front of the woman's face when she finally came to.

"Whose ball was it?" someone asked.

"Mine." Tōshirō desperately made his way to the center of the commotion. "Coach, can I take her to the clinic?"

Coach Ukitake nodded and Tōshirō wasted no time pulling the woman up. He wanted to carry her bridal style, but the darn woman just had to wear a skirt that day! He gently lifted her up and led her to the clinic, apologizing for his current state—he was sweaty and dirty...and he hit her! Oh heavens, he hit her. With a soccer ball! The raven-haired woman didn't seem to mind though; still, Tōshirō felt so embarrassed. His momentary loss of temper and focus resulted to this. He apologized for the incident again, feeling like he wanted to bury himself in shame. When he was sure she would be okay at the school clinic, he left, promising himself to win the game for her...

* * *

**Thanks for waiting oh so patiently for this! I'm glad to know there are still people reading (and re-reading) this! Have an awesome day everyone! :)**


	9. A Problem Resurfaces

**EDIT: **06-October-2011. Removed author's notes, fixed grammar and spelling errors.

I'm so sorry for this extremely late update. I totally forgot about it until now. Thank you to everyone who sent a review! Forgive me for being unable to reply to you guys, but please know that I love all of you.

Warning: Extreme OOC-ness.

* * *

"There are two kinds of worlds: the one you dream about, and the real one. The challenge is not _to choose_, but _to make both worlds meet._"

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 8**

A Problem Resurfaces

* * *

RUKIA was sitting on her bed, bored. It was a Sunday, and she was supposed to be resting. She looked at her cell phone for the nth time, itching real badly to send a text message to a certain someone. Maybe she could ask how the game went... After all, she wasn't able to finish the championship game. When she woke up (after passing out at the clinic), Kaien decided to take her home and let her rest while he himself went back to finish the game. He told her the results, and that Tōshirō scored two goals for the school and was carried off the field by his teammates after the game. So yeah, she actually knew the results. That fact wouldn't hinder her from using it as an excuse to send Toushirou a message, though. The raven-haired girl took a deep breath, gathered all the courage she had in her petite body, flipped open her phone and punched in _'Hey, how are you?_' She paused for a while staring at the blinking cursor on her phone, deliberating her next course of action.

* * *

**a.** _Should I send it? He might think I'm assuming we're close friends already!_

or

**b.**_ Should I not send it? The chance to know how he is might slip away! And it's eating me alive!_

* * *

Rukia buried her phone in her chest, biting her lip as she stared at the ceiling. She couldn't send it. She just couldn't find it in herself to send the message. She couldn't risk Tōshirō freaking out! She heaved a sigh as she prepared to erase the message, but she had been so absent-minded that she pressed the wrong button! She accidentally pressed the _send_ button and immediately started panicking, staring wide-eyed as the word "Sending" continued to taunt her. She frantically pressed the End button numerous times, hoping to cancel the command, and then covered her phone with her pillow, hoping to intercept the reception—hoping against hope that the signal would miraculously drop.

It didn't. Rukia stared anxiously as an animated envelope flew away in her phone, the words "Message Sent" grating on her nerves.

The minutes ticked by. Questions had been swarming in Rukia's mind for the past few minutes. What if she got the number wrong? What if when her number appeared on his phone, he didn't know who it was and thus wouldn't bother reply? What if he was so freaked out at receiving a message from her and wouldn't even reply? Rukia tried to focus on other things—homework, upcoming exams, the school ball—but she just couldn't concentrate on anything else. The wait was becoming too much. A few more minutes passed, and still there was no reply.

The minutes added up to half an hour, and by this time, Rukia was so tempted to send another message, making some kind of excuse. Something along the lines of, _'Sorry, mistext'_. Was that lame? She plopped down on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling once more...

Two hours later, Rukia's phone _finally_ beeped, and it was from her _one true love._

Tōshirō's reply read: _'Hey, sorry, I was sleeping and I just woke up. I'm great. I was thinking how you were. What's up? Need to ask you something. Meet me tomorrow dismissal at the field?'_

Rukia's stomach twisted and turned as she read the message over and over again. What could it be that it couldn't be asked over text? She shrugged the thought off and replied, _'OK'_. She immediately informed Rangiku and Momo of this, who in turn told her that she should have let Tōshirō come to her if he wanted something. Rukia reasoned that it would be strange not to grant such a simple request. And as a matter of fact, she couldn't wait for tomorrow...

* * *

At the field, there were lots of students milling about—Tōshirō's teammates, upperclasswomen hanging around giggling, waiting to catch the guys' attention, and other onlookers. Rukia's eyes met his as Tōshirō spotted the raven-haired girl, but waited for a few more minutes until some people left before he waved and walked over to her. Rukia could tell that he was shy, and true to his reputation, he didn't like making conversation with girls when there were too many people around.

"Hey. Glad you could come," he said as he smiled at her.

From the school's parking lot not too far away from the soccer field, two pairs of eyes silently watched the exchange.

"Say, Kaien...You like her, don't you?" Rangiku bluntly asked.

Kaien merely glanced at the strawberry blonde, then smirked. "As if anything I say would change what that mind of yours had already concluded."

"As if anything you say would change the fact that my conclusions are correct," Rangiku retorted haughtily.

Kaien raised a curious eyebrow at this. "Then why ask?"

"I was wondering why you never made a move on her."

Kaien chuckled and shook his head, looking back at the conversation happening in the field. "Nah. I can tell that Tōshirō kid likes her, too. Contrary to what people think of me, I don't really make a move on girls when I know I'll hurt someone in the process. I don't like competition."

"Then why not before? When Tōshirō didn't know her yet?" Rangiku asked, genuinely interested.

"She was still a kid then. It's a wonder how one person can transform from a child to a lady in a year's time."

Rangiku smiled softly. "But really, Kai, it was you who initiated the bet in the first place. If you knew that would ruin your chances with her, why did you even do it?"

Kaien shrugged nonchalantly, although the wistfulness in his eyes betrayed his real feelings. "Heh. I didn't know it would. I thought she'd lose. Who knew that girl had it in her? I honestly didn't think she'd take it seriously, and look where it got her now."

"I don't think she did, Kai. She doesn't even talk about it. I think she doesn't remember the bet anymore."

Kaien smiled. "Well that makes the attraction between the two of them all the more stronger, huh?"

"Yeah. Soooo, you made a wrong move, ne?" Rangiku smiled teasingly as she playfully nudged him with an elbow..

"Yeah..." Kaien sighed in defeat. "Wrong move."

* * *

Rukia smiled at Tōshirō, and replied, "Of course. So what is it you wanted to ask?"

"Oh, yeah. Well...the soccer team is...throwing a, uhm, huge party this coming Friday, and I was wondering if you'd like to come…with me."

Rukia blinked in surprise and thought for a moment. Friday...wait a minute. Oh shit! That was the day of the year when her relatives come for dinner with her family! And she already promised her mom that she'd be there to help. Rukia wanted to hit herself in the head. How could she blow a chance like this? Was it even happening or was she just imagining things? She looked up and saw emerald orbs staring expectantly at her. He was really there, truly, _sincerely_ asking her to go with him to the party. She looked away guiltily before speaking.

"I...I'd love to..." Rukia swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing. "But I can't. You see, my relatives are coming over this Friday and I promised my mom I'd help her with the preparations. I'm sorry."

To her astonishment, Tōshirō smiled. He really appreciated how sincerely sorry she was, add to that the fact that family matters were important to her...just like it was to him. "Oh, that's okay. No problem."

"Y-yeah. I-I'll go ahead then." Rukia walked dejectedly towards the parking lot where Rangiku and Kaien had been waiting. Momo soon arrived.

Although Rukia said she couldn't come, she still couldn't push Tōshirō out of her mind. He didn't seem too sad—actually, he didn't seem sad at all—that she couldn't go. Her family dinner seemed like a perfectly valid excuse to him. Maybe, he didn't like her like she thought—wished—he would. First, she thought, maybe Tōshirō was finally beginning to like her back. After all, he asked her to go with him to the party. Then all of a sudden, he didn't even bother asking her to find a way to still go with him. Rukia recounted everything to her friends in the car. Momo, who was thinking the same way Rukia did, concluded that maybe he didn't like Rukia enough. _Not yet._

* * *

The next day, still somehow disappointed about not being able to come to the soccer team's victory party, Rukia glumly walked towards her classroom. When she entered, everyone who was too noisy before she came in suddenly became deathly quiet. She vaguely wondered what was wrong with them, but she was still too distracted about the whole victory party thing that she didn't think too much of it.

A movement of something bright from her peripheral vision caught Rukia's attention. Renji stood up from his seat and casually strode his way to Rukia.

"Hey," he started. Rukia heard their other classmates snicker and giggle. They all seem to know something she didn't...

"Will you let me take you to the ball?"

Rukia, who was still wondering what her classmates were snickering and giggling about on top of her problem with the party, barely registered the question in her disoriented mind. All she managed to say was, "Huh..."

And the simple-minded Renji took that to mean _yes._ He replied, "Cool, I'll call you." He walked away and slumped back in his seat, and before Rukia could say anything else, the teacher arrived.

Rukia, finally registering what just happened, thought to herself: _Uh-Oh, what have I done?_ She didn't like Renji _that way_ at all. She was not in the least bit interested with someone who was so convinced that he was so great even if his jokes really give her a headache. At the Drama Club, only Momo laughs at Renji when he starts his stand-up comedy act.

In addition to not being able to come to the party on Friday night, Rukia's got another problem: Abarai Renji.

And thanks to their big-mouthed classmates, the news about Renji and Rukia going to the school ball together had spread around the whole school come lunch time. Rukia wanted to tear her hair off her head out of frustration. There was just _no_ way she was going with _him _to the ball!

* * *

As she made her way to the library, she saw Tōshirō walking by himself.

"Hey! Tōshirō!" _Finally_, Rukia thought, _at least something good is happening._

Tōshirō stopped walking and gave her a sideways glance. "Yeah?"

Rukia was taken aback by this. Weren't they like...close friends already? After all that happened in the outreach, the soccer championship... And didn't he just ask her to the party yesterday? Shouldn't he be a little...warmer towards her?

"Well... That is, uhm…"

Tōshirō turned to face Rukia fully. He heard the rumors about her and Renji. He couldn't believe it took him this long to figure out that his own teammate had the hots for this girl...and that he was standing in their way.

"What is it?" He asked, more gently this time. He was frustrated, but more at himself than at anything else.

"I was just...just..." _Just what?_ Rukia thought. She didn't know why she called him. Maybe it was just a natural reaction to seeing friends in the hallway. But what could she say now?

From the corner of the hallway behind Rukia, Tōshirō saw Renji walking. He didn't want his teammate thinking of anything funny about them.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I have to go." Tōshirō hurriedly left without another word, much to Rukia's disappointment.

* * *

That afternoon, Kaien—who had nothing better to do—offered the girls a ride home even if it wasn't a Monday. Rukia sadly told them about the events of the day. Momo was surprisingly quiet, just looking out the window; Rangiku looked thoughtful, twirling strands of her hair in her fingers. It was Kaien who decided to break the stifling silence.

"Well," he started, "Renji is on the same team as Tōshirō. He'll just assume Renji likes you. When a decent guy finds out that another guy likes this girl, he wouldn't try to make a play for her until it's crystal clear that he won't be hurting anyone. So in the remote possibility that he even notices you, that kid won't do a thing. Trust me, I'm a guy. I know these things."

Rangiku glanced meaningfully at Kaien, who just smirked back at her.

"But I'm not interested in him at all," Rukia whined.

"Then you have to do something to make sure he knows," Kaien said.

Now what could Rukia do?

* * *

Next chap will be up in a few days~! Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day!


	10. Problem solving

**EDIT:**28-November-2011. Removed author's notes, fixed grammar and spelling errors.

Sorry again for the late update. Totally forgot about it. Thanks to **abiecula **for reminding me! And thank you to everyone who dropped a review!

Warning: Extreme OOC-ness.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 10**

Problem-solving

* * *

IT was a day before the championship party, but Rukia's thoughts were far, far away from rejoicing. It seemed as though her problems started piling up without her noticing. First, there was the blowing up of her chances to be with the white-haired soccer star, and of course, Renji—the culprit. Then there was Tōshirō himself who seemed to have been avoiding a lot her lately.

And on top of those, for two days now, there was Momo.

Momo had been acting funny recently. She didn't text Rukia like she usually did, and she didn't even call at night anymore. She had been strangely quiet in the car (Kaien, perhaps due to some Divine intervention, had been on a streak in driving them to and from school for the past few days), listening to conversations instead of giving an input, and only letting out weak laughter when Rangiku cracked a joke.

Rukia wasn't stupid. She had seen the way Momo threw discreet glances at Renji every time the Drama Club held a meeting. She had suspected that Momo being upset the past few days had something—okay, a loooot—to do with the rumor that Renji liked the violet-eyed, raven-haired girl.

Rukia dearly loved Momo like a sister, and she was willing to do everything in her power to make sure this friend of hers got what she wanted. The eldest Kuchiki daughter didn't want to interfere with her friend's "crush life", and if that meant sending off Renji along the way, then Rukia was more than willing to go for it.

And finally having had enough of the cold shoulder, Rukia decided to confront the problem. She waited patiently outside Momo's class room for the bun-haired girl to go out for lunch. Before Rukia could do anything to solve this problem, she wanted to clear things up with Momo first. The brown-haired girl soon got out of her class room and found her raven-haired friend waiting for her.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Rukia initiated, her violet orbs staring determinedly at her timid friend.

Momo hesitated for a bit before nodding, frowning sadly. They had been friends for so long and knew exactly what this talk was all about. "Me, too. I-I'm sorry Rukia. I mean, I'm acting like a complete fool, avoiding you when it's clearly not your fault," Momo said, looking down on the ground, ashamed.

"No, no," Rukia protested hotly. "You don't have to apologize! I should be the one saying sorry. I knew you like him but still, I didn't do anything to stop him from…you know. But I'm planning to clear things with him today. I just figured I needed to talk to you first."

Momo's eyes visibly brightened, and it was obvious that she was trying very hard to suppress a smile. "Oh no, Rukia! You don't have to turn him down, really!"

Rukia chuckled, finally relieved that the problem with Momo was almost out of the way. "I won't turn him down, because I didn't say I'd go with him in the first place. I just need to clarify that to him." She winked conspiratorially. "We know he's a bit thick-headed."

"Oh, okay. Good luck with that, then See you!" Momo beamed and took off.

Rukia shook her head in amusement. She and Momo were finally back to normal. Now where could she find Renji…?

* * *

When Rukia found the red-head, the guy was eating lunch with a few of their classmates in the school rooftop. After spotting Rukia coming, their classmates stood up and made lame excuses about leaving the red-head alone while whispering and giggling, presuming he would like some _alone time_ with the raven-haired girl.

"Renji." The guy who heard his name called looked over his shoulder and instantly grinned upon seeing his _guest_.

"Hey. Miss me already? But separated only about 25 minutes ago."

Rukia's brow twitched. This guy was indeed too full of himself. "No I did not miss you. And we're not even_ together_ to be _separated._ We don't even talk during class."

To Rukia's surprise, Renji's grin slightly faltered. "Oh, uhm…why are you here then?"

Rukia sighed heavily. She didn't want it to come to this, but she just had no choice now. "Listen, Renji. About the ball, when you asked me. I-I didn't actually say yes…"

To Rukia's mounting guilt, Renji's grin vanished completely.

Yes, Rukia felt guilty, but she couldn't—WOULDN'T—risk losing Momo over this guy. "I'm sorry, but I'm not coming with you to the ball. I-I'm sorry if you misinterpreted what I said. Please don't think I'm trying to lead you on or anything. I'm…not really interested." Rukia bit her lower lip, looking away. She needed to get away before she pitied the poor guy and decided to really go to the ball with him.

Renji seemed bitter that Rukia turned him down. Although Rukia knew that she had lost him as a friend, she also knew that she couldn't really blame the guy for hating her.

* * *

Late that afternoon, the Drama Club members were called for a meeting. Rukia badly needed to talk to Kaien, so she took this as an opportunity to speak with the playboy. She stood in front of the auditorium, waiting for his arrival, kicking non-existent dirt with the tip of her shoe. A few minutes passed, and the popular senior finally came into view.

"Hey, Kai!" Rukia called out urgently.

Kaien raised a curious brow."Why are you still outside? Isn't Urahara-sensei inside yet?"

Rukia shook her head fervently. "No, not yet. And I need to ask a favor from you."

"Anything you want this charm of mine to do for you?" Kaien said, smiling seductively—the smile that had caught the hearts of most of the female population in the school.

"Actually, yes…" Rukia grinned back.

* * *

The auditorium was noisy as all of the members of the Drama Club went to attend the general assembly—everyone except the lead actor and actress of the upcoming play. Urahara-sensei soon entered and everyone immediately hushed. The director climbed up the stage with a tired sigh, and started the meeting.

"Before I actually begin, I would like to announce a few…changes."

There were "ooh's" heard all over the auditorium. Everyone immediately wondered what those changes were.

Outside the door, Rukia and Kaien both grinned at the director who stood directly across from them.

Urahara-sensei sighed again. Those two really had good convincing skills_. _"A few role assignments will be changed. Due to some…complications, Shiba and Kuchiki can't play the lead roles anymore. So I need to pick a new pair."

Enter the magic fishbowl of names.

"So, our new Juliet is…" He picked one of the papers inside the bowl. It read Natsui Mahana. "…Hinamori Momo."

There were cheers all around the audi, and Momo was blushing furiously.

"And our Romeo is…" Urahara-sensei looked at his list though it was only for show, as he knew beforehand thanks to those two grinning idiots outside the audi which one to pick as Romeo. "…Abarai Renji."

Everyone yelled and applauded the new lead actor and actress. Momo was blushing even harder now.

Outside the room filled with hoots and giggles, Rukia smiled widely at Kaien. "Thanks, Kai."

Kaien just smirked. _Anything for this girl. _"Don't mention it." He ruffled her hair affectionately before walking away.

"Where are you going?" Rukia called out as she patted her hair back down.

Kaien shrugged and continued walking. "I don't think I'm needed there anymore. There goes my chances of being your Romeo out the window. See ya!" He raised a hand and waved without looking back.

Rukia shook her head with a smile and finally entered the audi, where she was immediately tackled by Momo.

"Oh, Rukia! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Whatever for?" Rukia innocently asked.

"Oh, I know it was you! I just know it! Thanks!"

Now that Momo and Renji were set up as Romeo and Juliet, they were immediately ordered to practice after the meeting was over. And they must kiss on the lips. It didn't really take long before they started exchanging shy but meaningful glances every now and then.

Momo was so grateful to Rukia for paving the way for the unforgettable high school romance she always knew she would have this school year, that she told Honshō Chizuru about the goodness of her heart.

Then Chizuru told her friend, Ogawa Michiru, who told her classmate Kunieda Ryō, who told her Track and Field teammate Arisawa Tatsuki, who told her boyfriend Hisagi Shūhei…

Shūhei was Tōshirō's teammate.

* * *

Friday finally came, and Rukia felt that a lot of the burden she got from earlier that week was finally lifted off her shoulders. Now, only one more thing was left unsolved: Tōshirō.

And it was the toughest on to solve.

Momo and Renji were familiar friends, so she had no trouble confronting them. Tōshirō, however was a different matter. Although Rukia was sure that they both consider the other as a friend, there were still lots of things they didn't know about each other.

Rukia wouldn't want to freak him out if the white-haired guy found out that she was assuming that he'd been staying away from her to avoid having to compete with a certain red-head over her…affections. That was what Kaien said, though. Nonetheless, the white-haired guy's avoidance had been eating Rukia alive. It wasn't like she could just go around looking for him and ask him what the hell was wrong…

Night came by without notable events. As Rukia helped her mom prepare dinner for that night, she could imagine Tōshirō at the party with all those girls in cute outfits just waiting for a chance to chat him up. Surely, one of them would be cute, and surely, at some point he would need to make a conversation with one of them, maybe even with the cutest one, and _that would be that_.

Rukia's heart sank.

* * *

That's it for now! Thanks for reading people. Have an awesome day! :D


	11. Finally

**EDIT:**28-November-2011. Talk about rush editing. Well, might as well get it out now before I forget again. :)

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 10**

Finally

* * *

IT was the second day of the school week, and Tōshirō's mind still thought of his previous conversation with a certain raven-haired woman. He was so happy to know that the woman was like him when it came to prioritizing family matters. Although, he wouldn't deny that he was a bit disappointed that she couldn't come to the victory party with him. It can wait, he thought.

However, what seemed to be a good morning for him was destroyed by the news he heard from the students passing by.

"Did you hear? Abarai Renji's going to the school ball with Kuchiki Rukia!"

Tōshirō paused mid-step as listened intently on the students' conversations.

"Yeah. I heard that from a friend who's in their class. She said Abarai-san has been gearing up to ask her ever since school started," a freshman said.

"Really now? He likes her that much?" another asked.

"Maybe. I mean, my friend said he enlisted the whole class' cooperation and support before he actually asked her. And my friend said she agreed…I think."

"Hmm, really? From what I heard, all she said was—"

Tōshirō didn't hear the end of the statement. He was confused, frustrated and…pissed. Yes, the calm, logical guy was pissed. Of what exactly, he couldn't pin point. All he knew was that everything seemed…out of place. In all honesty, he liked the woman, and he thought maybe he had a good chance with her. And all of a sudden, she was going to the school ball with his teammate? And what was that he heard? His teammate actually liked the woman as well? How come he didn't even notice?

Abarai was a good friend to him. The red-head was the one of the few people he was most comfortable with despite Abarai's odd sense of humor. If this friend of his liked the raven-haired woman, Tōshirō couldn't possibly get in their way, could he?

He made his way to the field and sat down on one of the benches to think. He didn't have abundance in choices. It was either he'd go for it and hurt his friend, or he'd give way to him and lose the woman. Tough luck for him though, he felt as if the answer was chosen for him beforehand. Rukia _was _going to the school ball with Renji, right?

He walked through the hallways, still pondering over the unexpected turn of events. He didn't even realize he reached the library already when he heard _her _voice call out to him.

"Hey! Tōshirō!"

Tōshirō instantly recognized the owner of the voice and gave her a sideways glance. His mind was still void of anything but confusion, but his face gave none of it away.

"Yeah?" Tōshirō inwardly winced. He surprised even himself at how cold his voice sounded.

He saw the brief look of shock in her eyes…and there was something else. Something along the lines of disappointment and…hurt?

The white-haired lad sighed. He shouldn't act like this towards her just because of what he heard. He was still frustrated with himself though about how it took him this long to figure out his teammate's feelings for the raven-haired beauty.

"What is it?" He asked gently, somehow hoping to appease the woman. In truth, he really—badly—wanted to talk to her, to be with her…His feelings just kept getting stronger to the point that he wanted to just go out there and expose them to everyone who asked…but he couldn't do that, of course. He needed to do the right moves if he really wanted to be with this woman. Now that this thought crossed his mind, he started to recall all the moves he had taken in the past, and desperately tried to find the wrong one he took—the one that made this raven-haired woman choose the red-head as her partner to the school dance.

From behind the raven-haired woman, Tōshirō caught a glimpse of the red-head walking towards their direction. All his confused mind thought was that he needed to get away—and fast! No man would like to see their girl talking to other men in private! Well, at least certainly not him. And since he knew this, he had to think of an escape before his teammate comes any closer and suspects something funny between them.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I have to go." He quickly turned on his heels and left in a hurry, all the while silently berating himself.

* * *

During Wednesday night, he contemplated on what he needed to do as he sat on the edge of his bed, throwing a soccer ball against the wall.

* * *

**a. **_Should I just give up on her?_

or

**b.** _Should I compete with a friend?_

* * *

The first one was definitely out of the question. There was no way in hell that he wouldn't do anything about his feelings. The only question was…_when? _Should he act now and possibly start a race to win the raven-haired woman's heart (may the better man win!) or should he just wait until the coast was clear? He honestly liked the latter better, not because he was a coward and didn't trust himself in getting the woman's heart. It was just that he really didn't want anyone to get hurt (not that he was assuming he'd win). The problem with the latter option was…what if the coast would never be clear? What if…what if they work things out?

Tōshirō growled as he threw the ball towards the wall with more force than before. So _now_ was his only chance, and he sure as hell would take it…

* * *

The soccer team was gathered by their team captain for a short briefing about the victory party to be held the day after. Tōshirō's mind was drifting somewhere else, thinking of the plans he had for tomorrow which actually didn't include anything that had to do with the victory party. A few people were strangely absent, one of which was Renji. The team captain didn't seem to mind though, as he started the meeting without waiting for the others. Before the meeting was officially over, a grinning Hisagi Shūhei, a senior teammate, walked towards the huddle.

"You're late, Hisagi." The team captain scolded the tattooed man.

"Yeah, yeah. Got held up by Tatsuki, sorry."

"So, mind sharing with us what you learned besides the geography of your girlfriend's mouth?" The captain mocked.

Hisagi smirked and looked around. He shrugged and said, "I just happen to know where Abarai is."

The team captain raised a brow. "And that will be…?"

"At that sophomore, Hinamori Momo's house. Heard something about driving her home. The girl and Abarai are the new stars of the Drama Club's presentation for this year."

"What happened to Shiba and the other girl, Kuchiki is it?" Another member piped in.

Tōshirō's ears stood at attention at hearing the very familiar names.

"Ah, yeah. Tatsuki said that Kuchiki girl was so kind. She knew that her friend, Hinamori, had the hots for our little Renji, so she talked to Urahara-sensei and Shiba to let Abarai and Hinamori get the lead roles. Something about matchmaking, I guess." Hisagi said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh…But I thought Renji liked the Kuchiki girl? I heard of the rumors about them going to the school ball together."

Hisagi chuckled. Who knew that the high and mighty boys of the soccer team would talk about these types of stuff like gossipers? "Apparently, Kuchiki never agreed to come with him. Renji just assumed. But I think everything's cleared up now." He eyed the white-haired lad silently listening to their conversation. "Right, Tōshirō?"

Tōshirō blinked. Man, this guy is perceptive. "Uh…"

Everyone snickered.

"C'mon kid. We all know you like that girl." Hisagi smirked teasingly.

Tōshirō scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "Hn."

"Renji's out of your way now. Not that he actually was a hindrance anyway. Time to go get your girl, Tōshirō." Hisagi gave him a thumbs up while the rest gave nods of approval.

Tōshirō just smiled sheepishly.

* * *

Their relatives started arriving when Byakuya received an urgent call from his secretary. He soon left for an impromptu meeting with their company's board of directors. Now, the task of entertaining their visitors was left in Rukia and Hisana's hands, as Nel added more as a problem than as help.

Rukia stood by the door way, staring off into space as her mind tuned out the conversations going on inside the house, drifting off to someplace else. It was the incessant vibrating and beeping of her phone inside her pocket that shook her out of her thoughts. And to her surprise, it was a message—from Tōshirō! It read: _**Is it okay if I drop by your house to visit?**_

Rukia gasped, blinking wildly as she re-read the message just to make sure she got it right. To where now? What exactly happens when a guy comes to visit? The only guy visitor she ever had was Kaien, which was almost like family to her parents (since they lived next to each other). Rukia panicked. Her relatives were having a small reunion inside the house. She couldn't possibly endure any of the teasing that would surely abound—if they didn't turn him away first!

* * *

**a. **_Should I ask permission if a guy could come over to…to…install a new software in my computer?_

or

**b. **_Should I say no to Tōshirō even if the act rips my heat out, not to mention Rangiku and Momo would scold me when they find out I passed up on this chance?_

* * *

Rukia took a deep breath. She warily approached her mom who was currently entertaining their visitors. "Uh…Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?" Hisana asked.

"Can…can a friend…a _guy_ friend come over to install a new software in my computer?"

Hisana blinked. Why did it seem to make her daughter all worked up? Then, she smiled. "Sure, no problem. What software is he installing?"

Rukia shrugged and replied, "Dunno. Some kind of game, maybe. The guy is a major tech geek." Rukia gulped, looking away. Thank goodness Byakuya wasn't home!

* * *

Rukia couldn't bring herself to eat and knots multiplied on her stomach faster than flies over raw fish. Rangiku and Momo, whom she had informed right after gaining permission, kept texting and calling for updates while the petite woman tried her very best to maintain a poker face. In truth, she was very near tears from nervousness…When Tōshirō arrived, he was polished and polite, dressed in a white button-up shirt with sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, black dress pants and shoes.

Hisana immediately led him into the dining area and said, "Come, join us for dinner. You know, you look very athletic." Then, she winked at her daughter who gaped at her like a fish.

Rukia felt her soul leave her body. She didn't understand what the wink was all about, but she knew that her mom was very sharp, and she could tell that Hisana knew Tōshirō wasn't visiting to install any kind of software. Again, Rukia thanked the heavens for a very understanding mother…

Dinner was pleasant, with Tōshirō laughing at her relatives' every joke. Throughout the evening, Rukia's grandfather had asked him for his full name for about the sixth time, and Tōshirō didn't seem exasperated as he kept on repeating himself with a smile. Some of Rukia's uncles wanted to know where he was from, who his parents were, what his favorite subjects were, or if he had any college preference yet. It was a grill fest, and everyone knew it.

What made Rukia's heart swell with inexplicable warmth and, dare she say, love for this guy was that he appeared genuinely interested with her family, and at some point, he even offered a few pointers to Nel who suddenly declared an interest in soccer.

After dinner, as he prepared to leave, Tōshirō turned and said, "I just really wanted to ask you something that's why I asked you the party. You know, so you won't get shocked." Rukia wasn't sure if it was the yellow lighting by the front door or if he really was flushed.

Her heart took a nosedive. Now what could it be?

Tōshirō scratched the back of his head, gulped then looked at the petite woman straight in the eyes. "Uhm…Do you mind going with me to the ball?"

* * *

Okay, unless your mom is Hisana, don't lie to your parents about people coming over, kiddies! :) Have a great day!


	12. The Price To Pay

**EDIT: **30-Dec-2011. Fixed spelling and grammar errors. Might have overlooked some. You can call me lazy, but I'd say I'm unmotivated.

Note to new readers: This story has an alternate KaiRuki ending (Chapter 14) which you absolutely should not feel forced to read.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Chapter 11**

The Price To Pay

* * *

RUKIA was tongue-tied. Did he just…? Oh, hell no. Could it _really_ be happening?

Tōshirō was looking expectantly at the raven-haired woman, waiting for a response—any kind of response—to interrupt the rather uncomfortable silence that was eating his insides. What if she said no? What if she was so shocked that she'd refuse? What if—

"O-okay…" Rukia's voice was barely above a whisper. But it was enough to break the white-haired lad out of his musings and let an uncharacteristic relieved grin show on his face.

"Th-that's great! I better get going now. I'll see you in school on Monday." Despite what he said, Tōshirō made no move to leave.

"Uh y-yeah, I guess. I'll see you. G-goodnight." Rukia took a reluctant step back.

"Yeah, goodnight." Tōshirō offered her one last smile before finally leaving.

* * *

At school, the news had spread like wildfire. Two weeks after Tōshirō's dinner with Rukia's family, the rumors had reached everyone's ears. All of a sudden, junior girls who never once gave the raven-haired student a second look started checking her out. Some would even chat her up, making small talk while assessing the way she looked and spoke. And of course, there was one particular junior who got catty, snickering to her friends whenever Rukia walked past. Makoto Yumi.

"The price of popularity and stardom, dear, but I'll kick her ass the next time she does that to you again," Rangiku once said after an _incident._

This catty junior girl only strengthened Rukia's determination to go to the school ball with Tōshirō. Even Momo and Rangiku made it their personal mission to make sure she looked smashing that night—the two girls pledged to help Rukia raise funds for hair and make-up expenses. And of course, her dreamy dress would be paid for by Kaien.

Yumi was pretty, loud, funny and popular—and she had the guts to possibly make Tōshirō look her way. Although the white-haired lad didn't seem to be particularly interested in her, Rukia was still somehow worried that all of Yumi's flirting schemes might just work. She was always present in soccer practices, games and parties. The raven-haired girl knew she couldn't even compete with that, and decided she wouldn't even try even if it was getting really annoying.

Momo had even relayed the story to Kaien—that this Yumi chick seemed to be hell-bent on snagging Tōshirō even if everybody knew that he already asked Rukia out.

Kaien had shrugged nonchalantly at the issue, and responded with, "She's just like that. Don't mind her."

But still, the bitch stared Rukia down from head to foot, flipping her long blonde hair before making little snickering noises when the petite girl passed by. Rukia was so tempted to ask Tōshirō about Yumi, but restrained herself. Will asking about Yumi make it sound like she thought she and Tōshirō were a couple? Yikes! He might freak out! On the other hand, Rukia couldn't confront her—that would be stooping down to her level.

But…what if Tōshirō already liked Yumi but felt stuck with her because he already asked her two weeks back? Rukia continued to contemplate. Should she hold him to his word just so she could go to the school ball with him and save face, even if he might be already gearing up to ask someone else? What if he changed his mind? Rukia was seriously on the verge of paranoia.

* * *

**a. **_Should I ask Tōshirō if he likes Yumi and would like to take her, a junior like himself, to the prom instead?_

or

**b. **_Should I jump the gun before I fall flat on my face? Maybe I should just tell him that he should take a junior girl with him to the school ball to save him—and me—the awkward situation of having to call everything off._

* * *

Taking a huge breath, Rukia mustered up enough courage to go look for Tōshirō to finally settle the matter with Yumi. She had decided that before she could possibly tell her off (she couldn't pretend to be meek forever, and why take it from this girl who wasn't even Tōshirō's girlfriend?), she wanted to make sure he didn't _secretly_ like Yumi. Although Rukia knew it was kind of a "couple thing" to try and settle such business, she just wanted to get things in order.

When she found Tōshirō, he was sitting on one of the school benches doing what seemed like important school work; however, when he noticed her presence, he stopped what he was writing and closed his books, pushing them aside.

"Hey, how have you been?" he inquired.

Rukia would see him once in a while in the hallway, and sometimes at dismissal. They talked regularly on the phone (or whenever her dad wasn't around) about school and soccer, or else they would reminisce about the outreach. On the whole, Rukia could say with confidence that they were really good friends; but with Yumi in the picture, who knew if they talked about deeper things, for longer periods of time?

Trying to stop the green-eyed monster from consuming her, Rukia coughed a little and greeted, "Hey." Her heartbeat started to accelerate. "Uh…can I ask you something?"

He smiled his signature smile at her. "Sure. Anything."

"Well, there's this…girl," she began. "Her name's Yumi, and she seems to…I don't know, not like me, although I don't know her personally. I have a feeling it's about—"

"Is she bothering you?" He interrupted; his face was serious and his smile was gone.

"Just…just a little bit," Rukia said. Her boldness surprised even herself, but she was so worked up after enduring days of Yumi's snickering and snobbery that her voice cracked. "She—"

"She's just so bitchy," Tōshirō growled, looking pissed himself. "It's not that I'm cocky or anything, but I kind of know why she's acting funky towards you. Just…" His emerald orbs softened as he stared at her amethyst pools. "Just don't mind her, please. You…haven't changed your mind about the ball, have you?" He looked genuinely concerned.

Rukia's heart fluttered, and she knew that this guy sincerely liked her, and now, more than ever, she was determined to show up at the school ball with her arm around his. With her one true love by her side. She was so happy and mushy and she sooo loved it!

* * *

Rukia was so excited that during dinner, she had burst into the dining area, announcing that she, a mere sophomore, was asked to the ball by Hitsugaya Tōshirō, a junior, AND star of the soccer team.

Now, it could be told that there was but one thing that stood in Rukia's way—her parents' consent.

Byakuya flat out declared that she wasn't going anywhere, much less on a date.

And there was no arguing with Kuchiki Byakuya.

Byakuya said "No" so firmly that Rukia felt she had run up against a sturdy wall. There was just no arguing with him or the ground rules he had set up the minute she stepped into high school.

Unfortunately, among them was _"No dating unless you're 18."_

* * *

Believe it or not, the next chapter is the end. The chapter after that is the alternate (KaiRuki) ending. Will have that posted tomorrow (the 31st), that's a promise!


	13. All The Right Moves

**EDIT: **31-Dec-2011

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Final Chapter**

_Were they the RIGHT moves?_

* * *

It was a cold, lazy winter day, and, holding a cup of steaming hot tea in her hands, Kuchiki Rukia leisurely watched as the snow fell outside her bedroom window. Only a few more months and she would be graduating from high school. She sighed as she thought back on all the memories she had over the past couple of years. The fun she had, the lessons she learned, the emotions she felt, the chances that passed, and those she took. She briefly wondered if she had done the right things…if she had made the right decisions.

An image, so vivid and incredibly detailed, entered Rukia's mind as she shut her eyes closed.

_There was Hitsugaya Tōshirō, dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and black suit jacket, ironed dress plants, and polished ebony shoes, looking as gorgeous and dashing as ever. Standing a little ways behind him was a lady as stunning as himself, dressed in a very sexy halter dress which accentuated each of her womanly curves. She wore a grin that clearly shouted "victory" as she managed to get her lifelong crush to escort her to the school dance. Makoto Yumi flipped her long blonde hair and swayed her hips sexily as she slowly walked towards her handsome date for the night. As soon as she reached his side, she tangled her arm in his and led him further in to the dance hall; everyone stared at them, transfixed at their unexpected arrival. With their jaws still resting on the ground, everyone present in the room recalled how a few weeks ago, a rumor about how this same soccer star asked a sophomore girl to the dance had spread wildly. Unbeknownst to them, the particular sophomore they were referring to was at home, sulking and whining about how she wasn't allowed to go to the school ball_

_A few weeks later, it was formally announced that Tōshirō and Yumi were an item._

Rukia shuddered at this train of thought. She gingerly shook her head and forbade herself to think of such disturbing images. Especially not when her boyfriend of four months was coming over. He would surely berate her for contemplating over the past. She took a small sip of refreshing tea and instantly felt her nerves relax. She let herself get consumed by the thoughts of her current boyfriend. She could tell it had been really hard for him to pursue her, even after all that they had gone through.

Her parents were really strict on him—rather, daddy Byakuya was—even after they had been formally introduced to each other. Everyone present during the said confrontation could sense the tension so thick in the air they practically felt they were suffocating. Byakuya had been blunt with him, asking him what his motives were for his first (and real) daughter. The boy had been nervously polite, yet the determination was obvious in his steady voice when he told Byakuya that he had no ill intentions, only that he wanted to take care of Rukia for as long and as much as he could, to which the raven-haired girl in question blushed furiously.

Rukia remembered how the man had stared at her father in the eyes, defiant and sincere, and how her father must have sensed the boy's sincerity as he slowly nodded his head in acquiescence.

It wasn't until the start of Rukia's senior year that they had formally been allowed to get into a romantic relationship. The past year, as insisted by Byakuya, had been spent on them getting to know each other better and deeper. And Rukia was pleased with how things went for the both of them.

As she thought of how her boyfriend smiled at her like she was worth more than a million diamonds, Rukia's lips curved upwards and she told herself that she wouldn't have things any other way. She couldn't even imagine herself with anyone else other than him now.

Rukia's head jerked up as she heard footsteps coming towards her room. She grinned as she took the last sip of her tea. It wouldn't be a moment longer before that boyfriend of hers reached her room, she silently mused. She stared back at the snow globe-like view of their town outside her window as she tried to put on an innocent act, as if she didn't know he was there already. The door opened and Rukia shivered in anticipation of what he would do to make his presence known. The room instantly felt warm and cold at the same time—a weird but sweet irony she felt whenever he was around. She felt two strong arms enclose her in a possessive embrace from behind the chair she sat on. She threw her head back to look back at the handsome young man. The said man was smiling warmly at her, his eyes clearly filled with strong emotions, as he leaned in slowly and gave her a gentle yet passionate kiss. Rukia grinned against his lips as she recalled what **really** happened **that** night.

* * *

_It was the night of the school ball, and Rukia was cooped up in her room, staring at the dress Kaien had provided for her in keeping his end of the deal. She briefly reminisced how a few days ago, she explained to Tōshirō everything about the whole bet._

_She was nervous as hell during that time, as she wasn't sure how he would react. Would he get mad that she participated in such a moronic scheme like that bet just to earn his attention? Would he think she was just making fun of him, or that he was just another player in this game of hers? She anxiously waited for his reaction, averting her gaze to the ground as she tried to hide her shame and embarrassment. His reaction greatly surprised her. He __**laughed**__—a genuine, full-blown laugh. Her head snapped up to him as he put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately, amusement visible in his emerald eyes._

_"It doesn't matter," she remembered him saying. "I can see through you now, and that beautiful amethyst eyes of yours say more than your lips." She really didn't fully comprehend his statement that time, although she had a suspicion he was telling her that she obviously felt for him, to which she blushed to a beet red color. She was extremely happy that he didn't feel bad the slightest bit, and deep in her heart, she knew that the bet wasn't really the reason why they were what they were now. Yeah, maybe the bet was the catalyst…the shove that she badly needed to start acting on her little crush (or so she thought it was, back then). But everything else was...was just __**her.**__ Her own doing. And, unbeknownst to her, __**his**__ doing as well. However, that wasn't the end of their conversation. After the nervous revelation, she now had to tell him of a very…depressing—well, at least for her—decision._

_"I-I can't come to the ball," she quietly said, almost in a whisper, wincing secretly at how much she sounded like Cinderella in one of those children's fairy tales._

_There was a brief pause before she heard him mutter an "Oh…" She felt so ashamed. She was asked by the most popular player of their soccer team and perhaps the most famous junior in their school, and she had agreed. Everyone was shocked upon hearing the news, and it even broke the hearts of a big percentage of the school's female population. And now, a week before the dance, she stood in front of him, cruelly calling the whole thing off. She only hoped that whatever anger he felt for her at the moment would soon dissipate so they could go back to being friends—even if she was sure at that point that it would be all they'll ever be after this whole incident._

_She got her second surprise of the day when he smiled at her and gently asked, "Is it because you weren't allowed?"_

_She nodded her head shyly and closed her eyes, willing herself to regain the composure she had lost._

_"It's okay," he said. The school bell rang just then and they were forced to part ways._

_That was a week ago. They hadn't talked since._

_And now, on the night of the school ball, she felt so down, thinking that he was indeed angry at her; but being the gentleman that he was, he chose to keep it to himself than lash out at her that time she confronted him. Well duh, she just ruined the whole prospect of going to the school ball for him. She sighed and flopped down on her bed, spreading her arms wide, hopelessly staring at the ceiling._

_Amidst the silence, the doorbell rang._

_She waited for a few moments to see if someone would come open it. It was 10 pm after all, and everyone in the house had already retired to their respective rooms. Since she was still perfectly awake, Rukia reluctantly took the initiative to open the door for whoever it was that was crazy enough to make a visit that late at night. She climbed downstairs towards the front door, not even bothering to take a peek through the peephole—or rather, not remembering to do so due to her disorientation—opened the door fully._

_And there, __**he **__stood._

_He wore a crisp white dress shirt and a black suit jacket, ironed dress pants, and polished ebony shoes—just like she imagined he would for the dance. Tōshirō gave her his signature smile, and Rukia's breath got caught in her throat._

_"Hey," he said sheepishly, trying to sound as casual as he could. "What are you up to?"_

_Rukia couldn't hold back the smile that made its way to her face as her heart fluttered uncontrollably, deeply moved by his efforts to ditch the ball and go all the way to her house to…be with her. "Nothing really."_

_"I see. So, how about...we spend the night together? I mean...instead of going to the ball, we can...I don't know, have our own ball here."_

_Rukia blinked. Twice. And then she grinned. "Oh. That sounds like fun."_

_"I guess you should go get changed then." Tōshirō urged her to change into more formal clothes to match his outfit._

_Rukia nodded and led him into the living room while she rushed upstairs to go and get changed. She gamely slipped on the dress Kaien gave her. It was a simple pale blue dress with thin spaghetti straps, embroidered with tiny shiny beads. She found out that the dress accentuated her subtle curves, and it made the color of her eyes stand out. It hugged her hips nicely and flowed freely the rest of the way to her heels. She spotted a beautiful silver butterfly pin that she remembered her mom purchasing for her, and clipped in on one side of her head, giving her a more elegant look. Deciding she wouldn't wear make-up (since she wasn't used to doing so, and she didn't know how to apply it on her own anyway), she made her way to the living room._

_Tōshirō's head jerked in her direction when he heard her climbing down the stairs. He found himself instantly mesmerized by the effortless beauty that she displayed. It didn't even take long for her to look as breathtaking as she did. She was indeed a natural._

_Rukia shyly walked towards the white-haired man, blushing at the intense gaze he blatantly focused on her. She took this time to make her own observations about how dashing he really looked. Stunning wouldn't give his appearance any kind of justice._

_Tōshirō stood up and walked beside the petite woman, offering her his arm as they made their way towards the garden._

_The two of them sat on the garden chairs as they pigged out on chocolate chip cookies, bags of potato chips, and the Kuchiki dinner's chicken lollipops. Tōshirō had already removed his suit, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, while Rukia was in a comfortable Indian sit position. They talked about random stuffs like they usually did when they were together. However, Rukia couldn't ignore the fact that Tōshirō just skipped the school ball, ignoring the prospect of being with many beautiful ladies, just to come to her house and spend the night with her. She found it utterly romantic of him, and she blushed every time she thought of it._

_The sweetest thing about the evening though was how her parents, more like Hisana dragging a reluctant Byakuya around, tried to spy on them but then decided to give the two teens some privacy. Rukia caught a glimpse of them (Hisana shoving a heavily frowning Byakuya) pretending while giggling (at least Hisana was) to fetch something in the kitchen—first, a glass of water, then a bag of chips, sheets of tissue paper—just so they could catch a glimpse of Rukia and Tōshirō in the garden. Rukia was thankful that her mom was actually keeping her dad from giving the two teens a sermon about how young they still were…or actually, how young Rukia still was._

_The petite woman sighed when she was sure her parents wouldn't come down to bother them, or rather her, anymore. She turned the radio that they brought out with them, and that was when the cliché "King and Queen of Hearts" started playing. Rukia looked horrified. Whose CD was this? Who put it in the radio? Tōshirō might laugh at the sheer corniness of it, or think that she was trying to set a romantic atmosphere around them. Blushing furiously, Rukia attempted to turn it off, but Tōshirō's hand in front of her face stopped her. She looked up at him in confusion; he was now standing in front of her, a warm smile on his face, as he offered his hand for her to take._

_"May I have this dance?" His voice was low…almost sexy._

_Rukia nodded her head timidly and placed her hand on top of his. Tōshirō pulled her to her feet, put one hand on her waist while the other held hers. Waltz. They found themselves lost in each other's gaze as emerald met amethyst. They easily glided together, as if they were made to dance together that way. It wasn't until the instrumental part of the song that Rukia felt Tōshirō's grip on her tighten and pull her into an embrace._

_'__It feels so right…to be in his arms like this…' __Rukia silently mused._

_They swayed together, revelling in the feeling of holding each other in their arms. Rukia shyly leaned her head on his chest and felt his chin rest on top of her hair._

_When the song ended, Rukia felt Tōshirō get all excited and tense. She looked up at him in time as the next song started to play._

_"That's my favorite song!" He was obviously trying to be chirpy and casual, but his nervousness surfaced a bit. "Th-that's for you," he added, red-faced. The song: Tom Petty's Free Falling._

And even now, two years later, whenever she kissed her boyfriend, Rukia would always remember that moment as the first, and therefore the sweetest thing Tōshirō had ever done to let her know he cared about her.

And, as Kuchiki Rukia looked into Hitsugaya Tōshirō's deep emerald orbs as he slowly pulled away from their kiss, she realized that she had been doing all the right moves, all along.

-The End-

* * *

If I remember correctly, Free Falling was a song performed in the Superbowl. You know, Superbowl, football, Shiro? And I hope no one got confused about the whole Yumi-imagination thing at the start. Anyhoo, that's a wrap. Thank you to everyone who has ever read the original and those read this new version. Every hit, alert, fave and review will forever be treasured. Check the last chapter if you're a KaiRuki fan. If not, well that's it for you and me and this story.

So this is wickedsistah1024, for the second and _last_ time for this story, signing out. Happy New Year everyone.


	14. Alt End: KaiRuki He Who Silently Waits

Alternate ending. WARNING: KaiRuki. If you are not a fan of the pairing, please hit the back/close button now. Last chance. You really want to proceed? Don't say I didn't warn you.

Okay.

This one start a few days after the practice for the play and the soccer championships. You can re-read that if you want, just to refresh your memories.

* * *

**All The Right Moves**

**Alternate Ending**

_He Who Silently Waits_

* * *

Rukia was lying on her bed, resting. The soccer championships happened just a few days ago, and her head was still throbbing whenever she recalled how hard the ball had hit her.

This event caused her to think back on what happened before the game. Kaien dropped by for a visit in her home, out of concern of course, as he innocently believed that the petite woman was as sick as she claimed she was. Rukia felt really guilty about doing that to him. He'd been nothing but a good guy, and here she was, repaying his kindness by lying.

She sighed in frustration as she thought further back, before she lied to him about being ill. It was during their practice for the play when Rukia felt a little unsettling feeling in her stomach, but in a weirdly good way. And after Kaien's lips rested on hers, she couldn't help but feel…disturbed; and what bothered her the most was how it was all in a good light.

Rukia remembered the kiss, and her stomach turned. Could she _actually _be in-like with Kaien?

Were those fireworks real? Could it be possible for Rukia to like this guy who saw her in pigtails as a child? Who made her and Momo cry several times by stepping on their paper dollhouses when they were kids? Who thought he was ten times wiser than her, Momo and Rangiku altogether? Who acted like he was 35 whenever he talked to her? Who…who would patiently wait in the car when she'd come running late during dismissal? Who'd offer to carry her bag at the end of the day when she was so pooped? Who'd make faces at her on the car's rear-view mirror just to irritate her? Who could look really cute if only he wasn't such a smart-ass?

Rukia shook her head at those thoughts. No, no. She couldn't.

Must. Think. Of. Tōshirō.

* * *

The days went by with Rukia spending as little thought as she could about "the kiss". Meanwhile, it seemed like it wasn't a big deal to Kaien. He was still very casual around the petite girl, treating her like she was a little kid. Maybe, kisses on the lips ceased to bother him. He must have done it like a bajillion times. Besides, it was for a play. Maybe he was very professional. Maybe he had kissed all the senior girls in their school in all the secret corners. That last thought made her fume silently, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"Rukia," Kaien said, snapping his fingers in front of her face, breaking Rukia's thoughts one Friday afternoon.

"You need a ride home? I'm dropping by the burger place. Momo and Rangiku are doing some assignment at their classmates' house."

En route to the parking lot, Rukia, who had spaced out yet again, accidentally bumped into Renji.

"Hey," he started. "You going home? The guys and I are going to the burger joint. Me, Tōshirō, Shūhei…you know, the guys. Come, join us. It's the weekend anyways."

Rukia, upon hearing the name Tōshirō automatically agreed.

So there she was now, hanging out with some guys from the soccer team at the burger joint. Tōshirō wasn't really paying attention to her. Instead, he just sat here, two guys away from the petite girl who stole glances his way, as he idly drummed his fingers on the table. Kaien was with some rowdy seniors at a nearby table, and he wasn't acknowledging her being there either.

Then all of a sudden, everyone started nudging Renji and giggling, as if prodding him to say something to Rukia. And she was starting to panic.

Oh no, wrong guy. _Wrong guy!_

Rukia knew that Momo had some sort of crush on Renji, but she also knew that Renji had a crush on herself, not Momo. Her brain was working overdrive, trying to find some sort of excuse to leave the table. Would it be too awkward now if she suddenly stood up and went to the comfort room?

Suddenly, someone loudly said, "Go, ask her."

Rukia had never felt so cornered in her entire life.

The teasing was getting more embarrassing and unbearable. To make matters worse, she could feel emerald eyes looking curiously in her direction.

Then there he was—Renji—who casually said to her, "So…you going with anyone to the school ball yet?"

Rukia was really panicking now. She had no idea what to do—how to reject him without making him lose face in front of all his friends. Amidst the confusion, she had nervously blurted out, "Yes", and began to lie. "I'm going with…"

The first name that popped into her head was the name of the only man she saw most often apart from her dad.

"…Kaien?" Rukia said vaguely in a voice full of uncertainty.

Nevertheless, this caused the guys to hoot. "Shiba Kaien? The senior?" There were some whisperings as the guys from the soccer team were aware of the senior's womanizer reputation, and the fact that he was in the same room as them.

Rukia cautiously nodded.

"Is he…courting you?" Renji asked.

Rukia's eyes widened and she panicked once more. She didn't really know quite what to say. What she didn't know was that her silence and her hesitation were making the air pregnant with meaning by the second. And as the silence continued, Rukia could almost read the conclusions forming in the guys' mind.

Silence. Renji's face fell down, although it was strange because more than disappointment, there was…sympathy.

Suddenly, the red-head patted Tōshirō on the back in mock pity. "Sorry, but you can't compete with a senior."

Rukia was absolutely horrified—were they trying to tease Tōshirō and not Renji to her all along?

And as if fate had wanted to bury her deeper in the grave she dug for herself, Kaien sauntered to her in his usual _I'm an upperclassman_ stride and said, "So, let's head home?" It was getting dark, after all, and she wasn't even supposed to be out this late.

Rukia honestly would have said no, as a final attempt to prove the guys that she and Kaien weren't going out, but upon looking at Tōshirō and gauging his reaction—he wasn't paying attention to them anymore—she sighed in defeat and nodded her agreement to Kaien.

* * *

The drive home started was a silent one. Then, with a suddenness she did not even expect from herself, Rukia cried to Kaien about Tōshirō.

"Pssh. That's stupid," he commented after she relayed what happened earlier, parking the car beside the street so as not to intervene with the flow of traffic. "If the guy really likes you, he'll pursue you. And please, don't even go after this thing just because of the bet. I'll still buy you the dress if that's what the tears are about."

Rukia just sniffed pitifully in response. Talking to Kaien sometimes made her feel like a grownup. He never really took anything seriously, but he knew how to get serious and dish out good advice when the situation warranted it. And even when Rukia felt like her problem was so overwhelming, Kaien had a way of making it sound like a fairly easy deal that she could manage if only she gained some perspective.

"Wow. You really feel bad about this, huh?"

"No, no." Rukia tried to explain as she wiped her tears, but Kaien had already made a move to enclose her in his arms.

"Don't be shy. It's alright. We all have our own share of problems."

Kaien continued comforting the petite woman, rubbing her back gently to stop her tears; and as for Rukia, everything instantly seemed okay.

They stayed in each other's arms for a few moments, before Rukia suddenly felt Kaien become a little fidgety, as though he couldn't decide on something.

Finally, he pulled out a pink balloon from the back of the car (she might've been so distracted to have missed that), and handed it to her. "Here. Cheer up, 'kay?"

Rukia felt so happy at the sight of the bright-colored balloon that she took it home and placed it in her room.

A few weeks later, the balloon was all shriveled up, and as Rukia was about to pick it up and throw it, she found that there seemed to be a piece of paper inside.

The note—from Kaien—said: _Will you go to the ball with me?_

Rukia couldn't help but smile at Kaien's antics.

* * *

It was two weeks before the ball, and a package arrived at the Kuchiki doorstep. Rukia wondered who it was from, since it was addressed to her. She anxiously tore the box open only to discover, wrapped in white silky paper, a long pink dress—that she thought was hellbent on winning the tackiest dress award.

It was ruffled, it was long, it was baby pink, it was a cute girl's flamenco outfit gone wrong, and it was from Kaien, so it was the sweetest thing she has ever seen.

* * *

At the ball, Rukia and Kaien had a great time dancing, laughing about the dress the petite girl was wearing, and flirting about how her wearing it might actually mean something. Most people thought that Kaien had already fooled the entire junior and senior female population and that the only ones who would fall for his antics were the sophomores. Others decided that, being Momo's friend, Rukia was just doing her cousin a favor by being his date. What was pretty obvious to everyone was how the two were truly enjoying each other's company that they barely noticed anyone else.

And of course, asking permission was a breeze—Byakuya had always liked Kaien and though that he was trustworthy.

And, as was expected the moment the two stepped into the halls together, Kaien and Rukia won the King and Queen of the Night.

* * *

Things went by pretty smoothly after that night. Unexpectedly, but both to their joy, Kaien and Rukia didn't experience any awkwardness with each other. If anything, the two grew even closer.

The play was a huge success, too, and Urahara-sensei was so happy with the result of his hard work that right after the play, he announced that there would be a re-run, still with Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Rukia as the lead stars.

As she made her way home after the spectacular night of the play's screening, Rukia was shocked when she caught sight of a bouquet of red roses on their doorstep. She picked it up and opened the card that came with it.

_To my Juliet,_

_Congratulations for a job well done!_

_Is it okay for your Romeo to take you out to lunch tomorrow?_

_Yes? That's great! I'll see you tomorrow, then. I'll make sure you'll enjoy._

_Don't be late. It's not everyday that someone as gorgeous as I am invites you out to lunch. Well, we can negotiate for it to become a regular occurrence if you like._

_P.S. If girls say I'm not a bad kisser, is that a plus? :)_

-The End-

* * *

That's it! As I said in the previous chap, this is wickedsistah1024, for the very last time for ATRM, signing off. Happy New Year people!


End file.
